Videl Neko
by SoulOfALioness
Summary: Videl Satan. Strong? Yes. Independent? Defiantly. House pet? No choice. After a lab accident, our young Videl is transformed into a small black cat and is taken in by one Son Gohan. In this new, furry body, what secrets will she learn?
1. Chapter 1

AN: Ok I've had this idea floating around in my head for a little while now (I have WAY too many of them) after reading multiple fanfictions where characters get turned into animals… and well I kinda wanted to do the same to Videl. So hear goes. Tell me if you like it.

**Disclaimer: **FAN fiction. You know, fiction written by the FANS. NOT the owners! Seriously! Will you people never learn?

**Chapter 1**

Heavy footfalls slapped against the sodden grass melodically, the sound ringing through the air. The noise was joined by the owners heavy panting as she ran relentlessly, ebony hair waving behind her as it begged to be let free from it's golden banded restraint. Rain engulfed the teen, mingling with the light sheen of sweat that covered her forehead.

But to the girl there was no rain. No grass. No sound.

Only her objective.

Adrenaline filled her veins, pumping through her very being as her destination came into sight. Fatigue filled her but she pushed herself on, going faster and faster until at last she reached her goal.

"Good job, Videl. Excellent time! I think we have ourselves a new record." Videl came to a halt, dragging up air in heavy breaths. She looked over to the coach who smiled at her from beneath a large black umbrella before noting down the time. "The others will probably be a while and since we still have some time left you may have a rest before heading back to the changing rooms."

Videl didn't bother replying with anything more than a curt nod before walking over to sit beneath a large oak tree, the wide spread leaves protecting her from the onslaught of rain.

* * *

"I despise cross-country!" Videl watched as a panting Erasa flopped down besides her, whipping a palm across her sweaty brow. The blond had been one of the last students to finish the run, leaving Videl to wait for a fair amount of time. "And in this _rain_? Seriously, if I get sick I am SO suing." She moaned as she leant back against the tree trunk.

"Well you will be happy to know that after this semester we shall no longer have to take gym ever again." The girls looked up as the muscle bound teen, know as Sharpener came and stood before them. Though he didn't sound particularly thrilled about the information, Erasa was on cloud nine.

"Aahh. No more running. No more embarrassing excursuses. And no more unflattering polyester shorts!" She sighed dreamily, before she could say anything else the last of the teens finished the run and the coach stood before them.

"Ok, you lot!" He called over the buzz of chatter, bringing an end to multiple conversations.

"Alright, now that you've all finished I can tell you what we will be doing for the remainder of the semest…" He was suddenly cut off by a high pitched ringing that filled the air.

"Erm… May I please be excused, sir?" Videl asked, finger hovering over the receive button on her watch.

"Oh course, Videl. Go ahead." He smiled at her before returning to his speech.

Videl stood up and walked to the other side of the tree before answering the call.

"Go ahead, Chief."

Meanwhile, round the other side of the thick trunk, a certain demi-saiyan strained his ears to hear the conversation.

"Videl, you have to come quickly!" He heard the bass voice of the police chief come through the speakers, panic blanketing his words. "Some thugs have broken into the Orange Star Research centre. They're demanding a muscle-enhancing drug of some kind. They're keeping several of the scientists hostage and we can't get in!"

"I'll be right there chief." Gohan heard Videl say before a light bleep signified that she had ended the call. He listened to her hurried footsteps beat the ground as she ran from the field, presumably to find somewhere to get out her 'copter.

_I have to help her._ The though ran through his mind before he turned his attention back to the class who, to his surprise, where getting to their feet and heading back into the rain towards the school building.

Seeing his chance, Gohan slipped behind the other side of the oak and pulled up his sleeve to reveal a bare wrist.

"Darn," He murmured under his breath "I took it off for gym. I'll have to go back to the changing rooms to get it." With that he ran towards after the rest of the group. _I hope Videl will be alright until I can get there.

* * *

_

Videl peered down through the iron grate, watching intently as the man below paced back and forth, looking about himself edgily. He clutched the gun with shaking hands, an obvious first timer.

Carefully, she peeled the grate away, placing beside her in the air vent. Assuring that the man was directly below her, she dropped down from the vent with graceful ease, her foot connecting with his skull before he had chance to turn, sending his flying into a nearby wall and landing in a heap on the floor.

Skilfully, Videl slid into the shadows, hiding herself easily. She quickened her pace as she hurried down the corridor towards the main laboratory.

As she neared the room, the sound of voices grew louder and louder until she was stood outside the door, still immersed in darkness.

She listened to the raised voices with caution. According to the police briefing, there was around 7 men inside, all of them armed and pumped to the brim with testosterone induces, just waiting for a fight.

Videl smiled. _Wouldn't have it any other way._

With that she stepped back into the light, allowing the automatic doors to open, revealing her to the men inside. With a cry she rushed into the room, ready to take down anyone who got in her way.

* * *

Gohan landed lightly on the concrete, orange cape sweeping down behind him. Casting his eyes around he looked from the startled gunmen that lined the laboratory steps, to the policemen behind him.

_Aww man. If I weren't in such a hurry I could have made a real entrance. But never mind that now, Videl needs my help. _

He moved so quickly that all the onlookers could see was a blur as The Great Saiyaman disappeared. The blur flashed past the gunmen and Saiyaman reappeared behind them. He stood confidently, facing away from them as they dropped to the floor with a clatter of guns as their body's fell against the hard steps.

Satisfied, Gohan began to run down the corridor, using Videl's ki to locate her in the large building.

* * *

Videl held her fighting position as she looked about the room. The man she had knocked out upon entering the room lay at her feet; his companions were now slowly surrounding her, a few weapons pointing in her direction.

"Well, lookie what we got here boys." A tall, muscular man boasted obnoxiously. Obviously the ringleader of the gang of thugs, stood over a group of five tied up scientists. "Little Miss Satan come to teach us the error of our ways." He smirked as his five remaining men cackled.

Videl growled in irritation. How she hated these pathetic scum. She didn't know what was worse, the odious leader or his pathetic sheep-like followers.

Letting out an enraged cry, she leapt forward at one of the men that stood in front of her. He made a clumsy swipe at her with a wooden baseball bat, clearly missing her as she ducked down and knocked his feet from under him, sending him crashing into the ground.

Pulling herself up, Videl twisted round just in time to catch a roundhouse to the face. With a growl she twisted the heavy weight of the man round, gripping tightly to his foot, flipping him before he was sent to the ground.

Her breath came in light pants and she moved her body back into her accustomed ready position. However, before she could form the stance, a large hand crashed down on her head and grabbed hold of a thick clump of black locks.

Videl cried out in pain as she was pulled off her feet, her hair being tugged relentlessly by the roots.

Tears itched at the back of her eyes as she grasped at the hand before her body was flung through the air.

Glass shattered against her skin as she flew across the counter top, breaking beakers and test tubes as her body went careening over the cold metal surface.

She finally came to a halt, breathing hard as she lay atop the table. Screwing her eyes up against the pain, Videl attempted to lift herself up, only to fall back again.

Her head spun and pain gripped her side as the remains of a glass beaker dug into her flesh, the cool liquid inside mingling with the sticky blood that seeped from the wound.

Through the thumping of blood in her ears, Videl heard a banging noise, like a door being thrown open with so much force it hit the wall behind it. Shouting. The sound of feet moving about the room. Bodies hitting the ground.

As her head cleared, Videl eased open her eyes, forcing herself to look at the room. As the whiteness that clouded her vision cleared, she watched as the men that she had been fighting moments before dropped like flies from blow after powerful blow.

Gohan flew about the room at a lighting pace. Each blow he delivered, every punch, every kick, was detached as anger pounded through his veins. His eyes clouded with animosity as the image of the raven-haired girl, glass smashing against her skin as she cried out in pain rang through his head in a constant siren.

As the last of the lackeys fell to the ground, Gohan stood up straight, fists balled by his side as he glared confidently at the last remaining man.

The leader of the small band of thugs was a tall man, a thick black jacket making him seem bulkier than he probably was. An ugly red scar trickled its way from the corner of his right eye to his jawbone, long silver hair brushing against it as it fought the restraint of its slack ponytail.

Gohan presumed that the man was usually the type to never be without his narcissistic ego, but now the strong man quivered as he stood under the teen's cold watch, fear radiating from his grey orbs as he gulped audibly.

"Listen man, it w-was just a-a joke, ya know what I'm sayin'? Never meant no harm or notin'. I swear down." His baritone voice seemed to drop a key after watching his men taken out by what seemed to be just a breath of wind to the boy before him.

Gohan gave a snarl or irritation, something entirely unaccustomed to his gentle nature. "You're not even worth my time." He spat before seemingly evaporating into the air, reappearing behind the startled man and swiftly hitting the back of his neck with his hand.

The leader's eyes rolled back in his head as he crumpled in a heap on the floor.

Gohan glanced down at him with disapproval before turning his attentions back to the body lying sprawled across the counter.

Only to find nothing but a few smashed beakers. Looking around the room hurriedly he soon caught sight of Videl.

Her small hands worked swiftly at the intricate knots that held the bundle of scientists captive, soon untying them completely.

"Videl, are you alright?" Gohan asked, worried about the dark red stain that marked the white shirt she still had on from gym class.

Videl huffed indignantly, pulling herself to her full height and withstanding the overwhelming urge to wince as pain screamed through the wound at her side.

"I didn't ask for you help, _Saiyaman_." She said his name mockingly "I could have handled them myself." Her blue eyes glared harshly at him as the pain ebbed slightly.

"Your hurt. You need to get that seen to." He said with worry, dismissing her remark. She huffed again.

"Listen. I told you, I don't need your help. I've never needed it before and I certainly don't need it now." With that she strode towards the doors, just as the police burst through, she pushed through them and disappeared from Gohan's sight.

* * *

"Well its about time. Where the heck did you bugger off to, nerd boy?" Sharpener remarked as Gohan slumped down into one of the many stiff-backed chairs that littered the classroom. Since lunch had been immediately after gym, he'd been safe from the teacher's wrath.

But apparently not that of his fellow student.

"Oh, I err… had to grab some stuff from town." He lied, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. The blond male raised one eyebrow.

"Aha." He mumbled sarcastically. Much to Gohan's relief, Erasa cut off any more talk of where he had been during lunch.

"Videl isn't back yet. Must be a big one." She said offhandedly, more to herself than to the boys on each side of her. Gohan blinked. _She's not back yet? But… she left before me._

Gohan shock his head to clear his head as the teacher got the attention of the group of teens._ She probably just went to get changed at home or something. Maybe she went to get that wound looked at._

With that thought, Gohan focused his attention on the lesson… well he focused his attentions on not tuning the lesson out at least.

* * *

Videl stumbled slightly, cringing as she her foot landed heavily on the ground, sending shooting pain through her side.

Pressing down on the bloody wound she walked on.

The inert rain beat down on her skin, hitting with burning iciness, and soaking her to the bone. She shivered and hugged her barely clad arms. The white shirt and navy blue sweatpants of her gym uniform did little to fight off the cold.

After finally managing to escape from the questioning police and irritating media, Videl had decided not to return straight to school, instead heading towards Satan Mansion (she couldn't call it home. Not anymore.) to clean her cuts and change before heading back to school.

Not that she wanted to go back. But she had to keep up appearances. She snorted at that thought as she walked through the damp, empty streets. That was all her father cared about. Appearances. Videl sometimes wondered if her father even knew he had a daughter, or just a live-in publicity stunt.

Videl shook her head angrily. No. She would not get upset over that. Not now.

Turning up a dark, narrow side street she used as a short cut, Videl wandered along; her sneaker clad feet making a squelching noise as they hit the damp ground.

Suddenly, an agonising pain shot up from her wounded side, spreading through her entire body. She cried out in anguish, falling to her knees and clutching her side in desperation.

Videl tried to open her eyes but the spinning of the world about her made her feel nauseous. She quickly closed them again.

The pain seemed to dim slightly, before it came back again, hitting her with its full force. Again and again it happened, ebbing and flowing like the tide. It seemed to go on for a lifetime, before darkness clamped down on her and everything else faded away.

* * *

Gohan's head shot up from where it had been lying on the desk.

Something wasn't right. What happened to Videl's ki? It was still there but it was… different somehow. She was still there, but all he could decipher was that she was on earth. He couldn't even pinpoint where she was.

His eyes flashed to the clock that stood on the wall beside the board. 2:23. School didn't finish for another hour, but he couldn't leave now. He was walking on ice as it was, what with his constantly running off halfway through a class all the time.

Gohan sighed. He would have to sit it out. _As soon as school finishes, I'll go find her._ He silently promised himself.

* * *

Gohan cast his eyes about the streets, looking through the rain for any sign of the raven-haired teenager that he was searching for.

Though it was hard due to the fact that the rain had washed a lot of it away, he had managed to get a hold of Videl's scent and had tracked it from the labs for several block now.

His sharp onyx orbs flashed unseeingly across the quiet city streets as he focused his attention on the faint scent that was simply, purely, Videl.

The smell of the light fabric-softener on her clothes. The sweet fragrance of her shampoo. Rain mingled with sweat. And, what disturbed Gohan the most, her blood.

He stopped abruptly as the scent changed direction, heading into a darkened back street. He turned, walking cautiously as he looked around the shadows.

_Her scent is stronger. She was here not too long ago._

Gohan halted.

"It stopped." He murmured to the darkness. He frowned and continued to look about before something caught his eye lying on the floor.

Walking forward cautiously he bent down beside the bundle of white material. Brining one hand forward he moved it aside slightly and felt soft fur beneath his fingertips.

* * *

AN: Ok I spent way longer than intended on this (probably because I couldn't focus for more than a few paragraphs before wandering off for various reasons) but it's done so I am happy. Gohan seems rather out of character in this chapter but I shall try to make up for it, I promise. I also apologise for the pathetic attempt at a fight scene. I swear I shall NEVER make you endure it again unless it is absolutely necessary.

Oh and a big shout out to my good friend Ginger Lovell. Happy 15th Ginger! Whoop!


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Does anyone actually read this part? If you do, please tell me.

**Disclaimer: **I cry when angels deserve to die. I don't own that song and I don't own DBZ.

**Last Time: **

He stopped abruptly as the scent changed direction, heading into a darkened back street. He turned, walking cautiously as he looked around the shadows.

_Her scent is stronger. She was here not too long ago._

Gohan halted.

"It stopped." He murmured to the darkness. He frowned and continued to look about before something caught his eye lying on the floor.

Walking forward cautiously he bent down beside the bundle of white material. Brining one hand forward he moved it aside slightly and felt soft fur beneath his fingertips.

**Chapter 2**

Gohan frowned. Pushing the material to the side he took in the sight of the creature.

The black cat lay sprawled on the ground, it's eyes closed. Crimson matted its fur on one side, small segments of shattered glass piercing its flesh.

_What happened to it? Poor thing. Someone must have hurt it pretty bad. How could someone do that?_ Gohan thought, pity and concern washing through his dark orbs, thoughts of looking for his classmate leaving his head.

Sitting down on the damp ground, Gohan eased the feline's small frame into his lap. He worked quickly and smoothly as he tore the white material into strips and easing the shards of glass from the creatures body before wrapping the strips about the cat in a make shift bandage.

Once he was finished, Gohan tied off the bandages and looked the cat over. Not once had it awoken and already the white material was becoming invaded by red.

_I can't just leave her here._ Gohan sighed.

"Looks like your coming home with me."

* * *

The first thing that Videl felt filtering in through the darkness was pain. A deep throb resided in her head and her limbs were sore from the fight and the cross-country run before hand.

Above those was the relentless throb that came from her side, though it didn't seem as great as before.

_Stupid Videl. How could I have been so careless?_ She mentally chided herself.

She frowned. Something felt… strange. Videl could no longer feel hard concrete beneath her, or rain beating down on her skin. Instead she was enveloped in warmth.

Slowly, Videl let her eyes ease open, only to come face to face with a wall of green material.

She frowned. _What the?_

Her eyes travelled further and further up the material. It didn't take long for her to realise what (or rather who) the green material was attached to.

"Saiyaman?" She spoke but for some reason or another all that came out was a "Mew?"

Videl blinked rapidly. What in the name of Kami!

"Hay there, little neko. You're finally awake, huh?" She looked up at the masked figure, a gentle smile playing across his lips.

Videl was outraged to say the least. Little neko! Who the hell did he think he was calling her that? Ok so _maybe _he grew to like 10 times his size since she last saw him. And _perhaps_ the first thing she did upon seeing his was mew. But…

Videl tensed over. Wait a second…

She looked down at her body. Midnight black fur coated her from head to toe. A length of white material was wrapped about her middle in a bandage. Her paws rested against Saiyaman's chest, her long tail hugging her body.

Videl screamed but it came out as just a high pitched yowl. Immediately she began flailing, clawing and scratching wildly.

"Woah, woah! Easy there! Calm down!" The teen tried to reason with the animal. But Videl was having none of it.

_What the hell is going on? Why? When? How? WHAT THE HELL! _

Gohan, giving up on trying to reason with the cat, floated down from his position in mid-air and stood on the ground.  
"Calm down, would 'ya? Look see. I'm putting you down." Gently he placed Videl on the ground and watched as she wobbled on her new legs. 

Videl stumbled about uneasily. The whole concept of a new body shape was confusing to say the least. She wasn't entirely sure just what to do. She had fallen unconscious in an alleyway, kami only knows how long ago, and now she wakes up to find she's… well, a cat.

"Wow. Something must have given you a real fright, huh?" She looked up at Saiyaman who had crouched down on his knees and looked at her with concern. He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly "Guess I'm not really helping huh?"

That action seemed so familiar. But, from where?

"Look see," Saiyaman reached up and pulled the orange helmet from his head "I'm not so scary, am I?" He smiled.

Videl was gob smacked to say the least. Her eyes bulged and she backed away in shock.

Only to fall messily over her own feet, landing unceremoniously on her butt. She looked up at the newly unmasked Saiyaman.

Black hair stood up in gravity defying spikes, a single point flopping down across his forehead. Inky onyx eyes looked back at her with concern.

_No way. I… I can't believe it. I knew it… but I can't believe it. Son Gohan. Saiyaman? Kami above. A dream. That's what this is. It has to be. I'm lying unconscious in a dank little alleyway in Satan City and I'm just dreaming all of this. But then… how can I still feel pain? Oh kami._

Gohan looked down at the small being. It seemed so scared. _What happened to you?_ He asked in his head.

"Look, I'm not gonna hurt you ok?" He said, baring his palms in defence. "But I couldn't leave you behind. You can stay with me for a while. Just until your healed. Promise." He sent the cat a kindly smile.

Through her confusion, Videl gave a mental sigh. Not like she had a choice in the matter.

"Meow." She said, still not used to not having the ability to speak.

With that, Gohan picked her up, cradling her in his arm and being careful not to touch her side. Videl suddenly realised that once Saiyaman… err Gohan, had put her down the rain had started up again but now it had stopped.

Looking around she discovered that the rain hadn't stopped at all, yet, somehow, Gohan stopped the rain from hitting either of them. _Well, ain't he just full of surprises._

Gohan bent down and picked up his helmet, placing it back on his head. Suddenly they were drifting upwards in the air, before shooting off towards the horizon at a startling pace. In her fear, Videl gave off a squeak and dug her new claws into Gohan's arm, making him cringe slightly.

Taking this as an incentive, he slowed down and the death grip loosened.

Videl watched in awe as the world flew by beneath them, the lush fields and harsh rocks of the country landscape flashing past her eyes at ferocious velocity.

She shrank further into Gohan's hold.

Everything was happening so fast and Videl didn't even know how. What had happened to her? Her head spun with questions that no one could answer. She had no idea what was going to happen to her.

And there was nothing she could do.

She hated this feeling of helplessness. She was weak and it made her sick to her stomach.

"Here we go." A soft voice broke through her thoughts. Looking down she watched at they descended towards the ground once more.

A dome building lay in the clearing, rain beating down on its small frame. The sweet image was soothing and Videl's troublesome thoughts seemed to melt away.

Gohan's feet hit the ground with a soft thud. Careful not to hurt the cat he still held in his arms, Gohan reached beneath one white glove and pressed the red button. Videl watched in fascination as the Saiyaman costume flickered before being replaced with Gohan's school cloths.

_Note to self: Find out how that works. And where he got it from for that matter._

Gohan sighed, causing her to look up. "I hope moms in a good mood." She blinked at him and he flashed her a smile.

It felt like something was gripping at Videl's stomach and for some reason she could feel all the blood rush to her face. _Maybe I've got pneumonia from being out in the rain for so long. Isn't that just charming? _

Gohan walked forwards and opened the door, stepping inside. A smell of cooking food washed over the pair, causing a grumbling sound to radiate from Gohan's stomach.

"I knew I should have eaten something" He whispered under his breath, causing Videl to roll her eyes. Everyone at Orange Star High knew about Gohan's strange eating habits.

"Oniichan!" The sudden change in volume startled Videl, though Gohan seemed to be expecting it and didn't seem at all surprised. He quickly side-stepped just at an orange blur when careering past and, consequently, smashing into the closed door.

"Woah, easy there squirt." Gohan laughed as the orange blur transformed into a small boy, wild black hair sticking up in every direction. "You gotta be more careful." Videl watched the boy pick himself up from the floor, a wide grin spread across his small face.

"Sorry, Gohan. Hay, what 'cha got there?" He blinked, looking at Videl with wide eyes.

"It's a cat, Goten. I found her injured on the way back from school so I brought her back here until she gets better again." Whilst he was speaking, the young boy Videl could now identify as Goten, leant closer to Videl, looking at her with fascination.

"What happened to her?" He asked naively.

"I'm not sure. But whatever it was she must be hurt pretty bad. Poor thing can barely even stand up."

"Gohan? Is that you?" A female voice drifted in from the same direction as the sweet smelling food.

"Yeah, mom, it's me."

"Could you come here a moment please?" Gohan gulped at the eerie calm that was sprinkled over her words, he looked down and the black cat stared back at him with wide blue eyes. _Here goes nothing._

Turning around, he walked cautiously through the door to the kitchen. Videl watched as a woman, dressed in traditional Japanese cloths, her hair in a bun, turned round from her place at the stove. She smiled sweetly but her eyes burned with anger. She shrank further into Gohan.

"Hello dear. Tell me," she ditched the smile, her pitch getting higher and higher with every word "do you have any idea what TIME IT IS?" Gohan flinched.

"But mom, I can explain. You see…"

"No 'buts' mister." She said sharply "Where were you!"

"Well, Videl didn't come back to school and I went to go look for her and I found her," meaning neko Videl "and she was really hurt so I…"

"Wait what? Videl's hurt? Where? What happened?" Chi-chi asked, her anger fading at the thought of anything happening to the young girl she'd heard so much about.

"Huh? Oh… no, not Videl. Her." He lifted the cat higher in his arms for his mother to see.

Videl blinked, feeling the situation needed something. She bowed her head slightly "Mew."

Chi-chi's usual motherly concern seemed to double at the sight of the wounded creature. "Oh the poor thing. Is she ok?" Gohan nodded slightly.

"I think so. She just needs some rest and some time to heal. She was pretty badly hurt." Like a magic word, Videl felt her side sting with pain, making her wince.

"Well, put her upstairs for now. You can take her some food up once you're finished with dinner."

Gohan nodded and headed out the door, towards the stairs.

* * *

Videl stretched her new, furry legs out. Her wounded side was making it impossible to get even vaguely conformable. _Well, if I'm going to have to do this, I better start practising._

Rolling slightly, she got jarringly to her feet… or was it paws? Well she stood up at least.

Gohan had placed her on his bed, a squishy pillow beneath her. It wasn't that she didn't appreciate the thought. It was just that it made walking even more difficult that it already was.

Stumbling uneasily on the soft surface, she moved out onto the bed, trying to concentrate on moving four legs rather that just two, tail raised in an attempt to keep upright.

Time and time again she lost her balance, crashing against the bed, often hitting her wound in the process. But Videl Satan was no quitter and, human or not, she could do anything she set her mind to.

After a good 10 minutes of pacing up and down the bed, Videl was getting pretty confident and decided it was time for level two.

Walking to the edge of the bed, she judged the distance. Crouching down she trained her eyes on the ground and sprung.

Her paws landed lightly on the carpet, but she couldn't move her feet fast enough and fell in a heap, making her yowl in pain as her injured body smashed into the ground.

Tears itched at her eyes as she resisted the urge to cry out again as the pain flowed through her. She panted and lay still until the burning pain faded.

Lifting herself up, she swayed slightly before catching herself. _Ok, slight hiccup. No big deal._

She cast her gaze around the room. It was quite a simple bedroom, a single bed, it's headboard leant against the back wall, stood facing the door. A chest of draws and a wardrobe lined another wall and, beneath the window on the other side sat an oak wood desk, the matching bookshelf beside it overflowing. The whole thing gave of such a quaint atmosphere that Videl couldn't help but feel at home, even in this place that differed so much from her own.

She walked over to the wardrobe and stood before the mirror on one of the doors. She looked over her feline self, blue eyes staring back at her.

Behind her the door opened, causing her to turn around.

Gohan looked at the bed, only to find his patient gone. Looking around, he spotted Videl beside the wardrobe, looking at him with intent. He flashed the cat a Son Grin™.

"Hay, you must be feeling better. You hungry?" Indicating the tray in his arms as he came forward and shut the door with his foot.

_Now that he mentions it, I hadn't eaten since that slice of toast this morning._ She meowed her confirmation and walked across the room.

Gohan set the tray down on the floor beside his bed, on it was two bowls; one with milk and the other a mix of rise and fish.

"I wasn't sure what you'd like." Gohan said as Videl inspected the meal. "I'm going to go get a shower and I'll be right back, Ok?" With that he left and Videl was alone once more.

* * *

Videl stared up at the bed that towered above her ominously. The food had been delicious, although shoving her face into a bowl to eat was rather odd and she had made a fair few miscalculations when it came to how far to put her head, laving her face dappled in rise and milk dripping from her whiskers.

She frowned. How to get onto the bed without falling and making an idiot of herself? Or at the very least how to do it without getting hurt.

Her train of thought was cut off when the door flew open. Twisting her head around she watched Goten skip happily into the room, dressed in a set of blue, star dotted pyjamas._ Aww, so cute._ Videl though involuntary He noticed her and waved happily.

"Hay there, kitty-cat." He grinned, bending down and hugging his knees to his chest. "What 'cha doing?"

"Leave her be, Goten." Gohan's voice was laced in laughter. "Go on now, time for bed."

"Kay. Night kitty. Night oniichan." He chirped, running out the door. It was only now Videl got a good look at Gohan. His jet-black hair was wet and seemed slightly limp from the extra weight. She watched a drop of water trickle it's way from the side of his face and down his cheek, sliding over his throat with an aching slowness. It continued over the curve of his shoulder blade and trickled graciously over muscled chest. The water followed its path over a very distinct 6-pack before seeping into the white towel about his waist.

Videl gulped, her blue orbs dwarfing the twin saucers she had eaten from. _Oh. Dear. Kami._ Gohan was, for lack of a better word… buff.

"Sorry 'bout him. He can be a little hyper at times." The male laughed, snapping Videl back to earth. She ran her eyes over him again and again, but still he was there, in all his barely clad glory.

She stared after him as he walked over to the chest of draws, the muscles in his back rippling as he walked. Videl began to get that feeling again, her heart hammering and her face hot.

Her stare was shattered when suddenly, the barely clad teen became a totally unclad teen, the towel dropping to the floor. Videl yowled in embarrassment and screwed her eyes shut, burying her head in the duvet that hung from the bed.

_Ok, no big deal. Just don't look. WHAT EVER YOU DO DON'T LOOK! I can't believe I saw… NOTHING! I didn't see anything! There was no naked butt. I have NEVER seen Gohan's naked, sexy, perfect AHWHATTHEHELLAMIDOING? There was no butt! There never was a butt and there never shall be a butt. Deep breaths, Videl. In and out. That's it._

"Funny little neko. What are you doing?" Large hands wrapped around her waist and she was lifted into the air, eyes still shut tight. Gohan raised one eyebrow at the cat and laughed softly, lying down on the bed with Videl balanced on his chest.

Videl opened her eyes, feeling soft material stretched out beneath her. Gohan smiled down at her as she rose and fell with each of his breaths. He placed a hand on her head and tickled the back of her ear.

Against her will, Videl began to purr in the back of her throat. _Damn it. I am so weak. Although I have to admit, that is rather nice._

"I hope Videl's alright." She looked at Gohan as he stared up at the ceiling, worry burning in his eyes.

"I'm fine." Videl said, hardly believing he was actually worrying about _her_, even after how mean she had been to him Once again nothing came out but a soft mew. Gohan smiled at her.

"You're right. She'll be fine. Besides," He pulled the covers up to his waist. "I'll see her at school tomorrow."

_I wouldn't count on it._ Videl thought, before sleep wrapped her in it's warm embrace.

* * *

AN: Waaahhhhhhhhhhhoooooooooo! Halfway through writing this, my sister gave birth to a gorgeous baby boy. All my love goes out to my new nephew Cameron Matthew, his amazing parents and his awesome big brother, Joel! 


	3. Chapter 3

AN: I'm so happy with the response I've got to this story. You guys really do make a girl feel loved

**Disclaimer: **Wasn't, Isn't, Shan't be mine. :cries:

**Last Time: **

"I hope Videl's alright." She looked at Gohan as he stared up at the ceiling, worry burning in his eyes.

"I'm fine." Videl said, hardly believing he was actually worrying about _her_, even after how mean she had been to him. Once again nothing came out but a soft mew. Gohan smiled at her.

"You're right. She'll be fine. Besides," He pulled the covers up to his waist. "I'll see her at school tomorrow."

_I wouldn't count on it._ Videl thought, before sleep wrapped her in its warm embrace.

**Chapter 3**

New dawn sunlight crept over the landscape, grazing all the lands with its burning touch. A lone building stood in the midst of a forest to the east. Though the picturesque home seemed innocent enough, the building belayed a deeper secret.

The light danced in thought one of the windows on the second floor of the house, filtering through a gap in the curtains and creating a single shaft of light in the darkened room.

The shaft worked its way across the carpeted floor and up onto the bed in the middle of the room. Upon it a teenage boy lay, still entranced by the spell of slumber. Lying contentedly on his chest was a ball of black fur lay curled up, a band of red tainted cloth about its middle.

The cat twitched as the irrepressible gaze of the sun burnt at her eyes, awakening her from her previous sleeping state.

When the sun was suddenly blocked out, the cat fluttered her eyelids open, coming face to face with a pair of wide onyx eyes.

Videl let out a high-pitched yowl of surprise, jumping up and digging her claws into her fleshy pillow.

"YOW!" Gohan cried out at his painful awakening.

"Morning Oniichan!" The feline and the teenager looked over at the young boy who stood beside the bed, grinning naively.

Videl blinked her wide blue orbs. _Gohan. Goten._ She looked down, taking in her fur-coated paws._ Cat. Damn. There goes the dream theory. Shame. I rather liked that theory._ She shivered as Gohan's breath brushed against the fur upon her back as he sighed.

"Good morning, Goten." He said in an exasperated voice. "What's up?"

"Umm, mom says you have to get up now or you'll be late for school so get a move on or you wont get any breakfast." He recited, clearly having learnt the instruction long ago.

"Alright. Thanks, Goten. Tell mom I'll be down in a minute." Gohan said kindly. Goten grinned happily and rushed from the room, the echo of his feet pounding against the stairs floating back through the open door.

Videl stared at the door, which the young boy had disappeared through. _How are you gonna get yourself out of this one, Satan? Come to think of it, how did I get myself into it in the first place? I don't have a clue what to do and I can't even ask anyone for help._

A deep yawn from behind her, brought Videl back into the present.

Gohan rubbed at his eye before smiling at the cat that was staring up at him with wide blue eyes.

"Hay little neko." He smiled, reaching down and lifting her off him and placing her down on the bed before standing up, the sheet falling off his legs. "Be right back."

Videl stared after him half-heartedly as he left the room, presumably for the bathroom, leaving the door open behind him.

_It's real._ She mused to herself._ This is all real. I really **am** a cat. I really **am** in Gohan's house. Gohan really **is** Saiyaman. And I really **did** spend the night sleeping on his chest. _

It was all too much for Videl to take in. And with no knowledge of how she got into this situation, all she could do was sit and ride it out.

She blinked as Gohan came back through the door, still wearing the boxer shorts and white tank top he slept in. In his hand he held a white box and as he placed in on the bed, Videl caught sight of a green cross on its lid.

Gohan sat on the end of the bed and looked over at her an apologetic smile on his face.

"Sorry little neko, but this might hurt a little." Videl blinked in confusion before she was lifted from the bed's surface by a pair of large hands about her middle and placed upon the teenager's lap.

Videl blinked wide blue eyes as she followed Gohan's right hand to the white box, the left hand placed on her back to keep her in place._ Like I'm going anywhere_ Videl couldn't help but think bitterly.

Gohan opened the box with nimble fingers, reaching inside and pulling out a roll of bandage and some gauze along with some balls of cotton and a bottle of disinfectant. He placed them beside him before turning his attentions back to the feline on his lap.

"Ok, let's get this thing off you. I really should have done this last night but oh well." As he spoke as he untied the knot that kept the bloodstained material wrapped about Videl's waist and carefully began to unwrap the makeshift bandage.

Videl felt her knees threaten to buckle. The way his large, gentle fingers brushed against her wounded side made bolts of pain ring through her body. But the kindness she could feel behind the move seeped into her being, leaving her more confused as her face grew warm and the feel of her heart pounding in her chest that she had experienced the day before came back to haunt her.

_How was it he can make me feel like this?_ Videl wondered to herself._ It is so… odd. I just don't understand it. I have had wounds bandaged before and much worse ones at that. But with Gohan it's... different somehow. I just don't get it._

Any further contemplation was put to a stop as a sudden jolt of searing agony ran from her side to her brain and back again. She gave out a gut wrenching yowl, the closest thing her feline voice would allow to a scream, and felt her knees give in to the pressure of gravity, only to be held up securely by Gohan.

"Sorry neko," his soothing voice sounded like a whisper against the pounding in Videl's head, but it calmed her nevertheless. "but this has to be done. It'll be over soon."

Videl willed her eyes to open a crack so she could watch as Gohan as he dabbed at the blooded mark with an alcohol soaked cotton ball, clearing away as much of the dried blood as he could without causing her too much pain. As he did this he continued to murmur comforting words to her as the hand keeping her up ran gently over her ebony fur.

Even as the pain ran screamed at her, Videl let her body relax against Gohan's skilful hands. She closed her eyes once more and the ache of her affliction became little more than a dull throb in the back of her mind. His words drifted over her like a gentle breeze and she allowed her senses to focus upon the fingers that petted her fur-coated body.

It was like a whole other place. Videl wasn't sat in Gohan's room anymore, she was miles away, floating upon his caring words, his tender strokes. To be taken in by such a loving person made her wonder what she had done to deserve this kind treatment. She was always so distrusting towards the teen. She couldn't remember being anything remotely friend-like to him and yet, here he was, taking care of her.

_But he doesn't know that it's me, does he._ Videl came out of her meditative state at the though that crossed, unbidden, through her mind just as Gohan said, "There we go, all done."

She looked up at his smiling features with interest. Son Gohan. He was such a mystery to her. He had proved that he was incredibly strong due to the fact that he was, as she discovered yesterday, The Great Saiyaman. Yet, he was so inconceivably gentle. With all his power he still managed to treat the smallest of creatures with such a tender grace that was almost inhuman in its softness.

Yes, he was a mystery indeed.

* * *

Videl now sat alone in the empty room. Gohan had dressed hurriedly (leaving Videl to stare in fascination at his bed spread once more) and rushed downstairs to feed his suddenly growling stomach.

She glanced over at the clock mounted on the wall beside Gohan's bookshelf. School stared in just under half an hour and she could already make out the scraping of a chair as it was pushed back in the kitchen.

Without scarcely a moment of indecision, Videl scrambled to the end of the bed and struggled her way inside Gohan's messenger bag as the sound of feet rushing up the stairs met her ears.

Videl had just managed to slip her tail inside the bag as the door was thrown open.

Gohan rushed into the room, pulling on one shoe as he did so.

"I've got get going little neko," he said, not even bothering to look around the room for the cat as he did so. "Be good and don't wonder off. I'll be back in a few hours."

And without further ado, he grabbed the messenger bag from his bed and ran back down the stairs, saying a quick farewell to his mother and Goten before bolting through the front down and taking flight towards Satan city, pressing the button on his watch as he did so.

Down inside the bag, a black cat lay crumbled between a history textbook and was felt like a calculator. _Maybe I should have thought this through better._ Videl contemplated as she winced when the aforementioned calculator dug into her back as Gohan moved slightly.

* * *

Surprisingly, Gohan arrived at school before the bell rung. Seeing as he had nowhere else to go, he headed towards homeroom early, figuring that maybe Videl would be there, fixing him with a customary glare and soothing his worried thoughts.

But upon entering the room, no such validation came. Videl's seat was empty and the only glare he got came in the form of Sharpener, sat up on the fourth row. Beside him Erasa was sat, a panic-stricken look across her face. They were the only two in the room.

"What's wrong Erasa?" He asked as he made his way up the steps to his seat.

Sharpener snorted. "Figures _you_ wouldn't know nerd boy." He looked at Gohan with what he could only guess to be contempt.

"Sharpener, stop it!" Erasa cried out, her usual bubbly personality was gone and it startled Gohan to see her acting with such hostility. "Now is not the time." This time her voice was softer and the distress was clear in her voice.

"Erasa?" Gohan placed a comforting hand upon her shoulder, having now reached the two blondes. Erasa looked up at him, her eyes teary.

"It's Videl, Gohan. She's missing."

"What?" His voice was horse as he blinked in confusion at the girl.

"She's just gone. No one's seen her since she was called out after gym yesterday. Hurcule's going nuts. He put out this massive search, it's all over the news."

"No." Gohan breathed, slumping backward into his chair and staring blankly at the opposite wall. He barely acknowledged as the bell rang overhead and a stream of gossiping teens walked into the room, no doubt about the disappearance of the young Satan girl.

_She's disappeared. It's my fault. I should have looked harder for her yesterday when I couldn't sense where she was. I should have searched the ally way more but the little neko distracted me. Darn it! Anything could have happened to her. Kami only knows where she is now and after all the rain I'll never be able to pick up her scent again._

"…police will be coming in later to search the school." Gohan turned his attention to the teacher who was stood at the front of the room. (When had she got here?) He guessed that she was talking about Videl's disappearance. "You may talk quietly until first period." She gave the class a brief nod and moved to sit at her desk. The room was immediately immersed in chatter.

Gohan however took no notice in the talk as something else had caught his eye.

His messenger bag sat on the floor between his feet and he could have sworn it moved. He stared at it intently, a frown of confusion lacing his features.

There! It moved once more. Gohan was sure of it.

Reaching down, he untied the bag and lifted the flap. His eyes widened and he let out a slight gasp. _How in Kami's name…?_

"Gohan-kun what wrong?" Erasa's voice came from beside him and he looked up just in time to see her gaze travel down to the bag at his feet. Her blue eyes that had held such dejection since he had first entered the room now lit up and a smile traced its way across her lips. "Oh my gosh!" she whispered excitedly "How cute!"

"What is?" Her excited tone seemed to have gained the attention of Sharpener, who now leaned over her shoulder as he too looked down into Gohan's messenger bag. "Oh." The sight he was met with was, apparently not what he had been expecting. He looked up at Gohan. "What the hell is a cat doing in your bag?"

Gohan blinked, his confusion as evident as Sharpeners. "I… I don't know." He looked back down into the bag.

The bright azure orbs of the feline he could have sworn he had left in his room stared back at him, her body squeezed uncomfortably between a history textbook and his calculator.

* * *

AN: Well, this seems like a good place to stop. I've been rather bad writing this because I wrote a third of it and then sorta… left it. But went it turns out that a water pipe has burst at school (or something like that) giving me the day off, it gave me the perfect excuse to write the day away. 


	4. Chapter 4

AN: I'm in a writing kind of mood so I figured I'd try and get this up before I go back to school on the 9th. Thank you all SO much for your kind reviews! I hope I can live up to your praise.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own DBZ. I do, however, own my very own chibi Dragonball Z shirt that I made myself huggles. It gives me my inspiration.

**Last Time: **

"It's Videl, Gohan. She's missing."

"What?" His voice was horse as he blinked in confusion at the girl.

"She's just gone. No one's seen her since she was called out after gym yesterday. Hurcule's going nuts. He put out this massive search, it's all over the news."

* * *

The sight he was met with was, apparently not what he had been expecting. He looked up at Gohan. "What the hell is a cat doing in your bag?"

Gohan blinked, his confusion as evident as Sharpeners. "I… I don't know." He looked back down into the bag.

The bright azure orbs of the feline he could have sworn he had left in his room stared back at him, her body squeezed uncomfortably between a history textbook and his calculator.

**Chapter 4**

_Oh dear. Busted._ Videl mused calmly to herself as she stared up at the surprised faces of Gohan, Erasa and Sharpener._ This should be interesting._

"Gohan, I didn't know you had a cat." Erasa chirped, gazing lovingly at the ball of fur in Gohan's bag. 

"I… um…. I don't. I'm just taking care of her until she heals." Gohan said, a frown of confusion lining his features as he apparently tried to figure out how the cat had managed to slip into his bag unnoticed.

"Well why the hell'd you bring it to school?" Sharpener hissed bitterly, his contempt for Gohan ever present.

"I-I didn't know I had. I don't know how she got there." _Poor Gohan._ Videl thought to herself._ I've really put him on the spot. Great way to repay him, Videl. Real smooth._

"Oh, don't mind Sharpie, Gohan." Erasa winked. "He's just jealous."

"Jealous! Of nerd boy! Phft, hardly." The blond folded his arms over his chest defiantly.

"Yeah, whatever." Erasa replied with a roll of her eyes before smiling at Gohan. "Don't worry. We won't tell anyone."

Before anymore could be said, the sound of the school bell rang through the room and Videl identified the sound of people getting up to leave. Erasa and Sharpener's faces disappeared, though Videl could still hear the faint sound of their arguing above the rest of the chatter. She looked up at Gohan and her stomach flipped at the look of pain and worry in his eyes.

The demi-saiyan sighed mournfully.

"Well, I guess I have no choice." He whispered so only she could hear, his voice almost pleading in its sincerity. "But you'll have to keep quiet. If any one finds you, I could get expelled so please… be good, ok?" Videl felt her face redden in embarrassment. Why had she been so stupid as to come to school? She nodded her head slightly in confirmation.

Gohan smiled gently at her and reached into the bag to run his hand over the soft fur of her head quickly before he closed the bag and stood up. He made his way down the steps towards the exit, cradling his satchel carefully in an attempt to not hurt the feline inside.

After much skilful manoeuvring through the corridors on his part, Gohan reached his first period class: English. He was one of the last students to arrive so he quickly made his way up the steps to sit on the back row with Erasa and Sharpener. A glance at the empty chair next to him reminded him of Videl's current 'Missing In Action' status. But he had more pressing matters at present.

The last student entered the room and the teacher started her introduction to the lesson.

All of which went completely unnoticed to Gohan as he lay his bag carefully on the floor beneath the desk and opened it up to check on his tiny stow-away who, as it turned out, was being flattened by his history-text book. He hurriedly took the book out, apologising under his breath to the furry creature as he did so.

"I'm sorry Mr Son. Is my class an inconvenience to you?" Gohan jerked his head up at the angry voice, causing him to ram his skull into the underside of the table. Rubbing his head, he appeared over the top of the desk.

"S-Sorry, Miss Neawa?" Gohan asked, blinking innocently at the frowning teacher. The woman in question sighed exasperatedly and waved her hand at Gohan off-handily.

"Just sit up and pay attention, Gohan." Gohan glanced down at his bag for a moment but nodded and did as he was instructed.

Videl popped her head out from the bag and looked up at Gohan with troubled eyes.

_Stupid, stupid Videl. What the hell did you think would happen? Of course Gohan's going to get in trouble because of you._ Her heart skipped a painful beat, causing her to glare down at her furry chest with distaste. That organ seemed to be in cahoots with her stomach to turn against her at the most inappropriate times as of late. And it was getting real old.

Before Videl had a chance to mentally curse the powers that be, a stream of pinpricks rippled down her leg, alerting her to the fact that Gohan's history text book had fallen back onto her and was now cutting of the circulation of her right hind leg.

She glanced back up at Gohan who was, as per usual, looking between the teacher and the open textbook before him. Though she couldn't help but notice (with a hint of pride) that he would occasionally glance over to the empty seat beside him where her human self should be sat.

A moment of indecision and a silent prayer that she wouldn't be caught and Videl was easing her feline body from beneath the heavy tome and had stumbling from Gohan's bag onto the class room floor. She glanced upwards and breathed a sigh of relief as it became clear that no one was any the wiser of her presence.

She stretched her hind legs out behind her to rid herself of the numb buzz that had taken over, her tail flexing in appreciation as the blood drained back to the sore limbs.

Once sensation had returned to her body she sat down on the floor, looking round idly as the muffled drone of the teacher's voice drifted through her senses unheard.

_Well, this should certainly prove to be interesting. Lucky me, I get to spend the day under desks._ She cringed at the sight of masses of stale gum stuck to the bottom of the desk over head.

Looking around for something to do, Videl caught sight of two more pairs of legs, quite obviously belonging to Erasa and Sharpener. Picking herself up, she padded over to them. They were an odd pair, not really the kind of people you'd expect someone like Videl to hang around with. First there was Sharpener: The egotistical jock with a one-track mind and the belief that everything he wants can and should be his. Including Videl. And then there was Erasa. Your trademark hyperactive blond teenager, obsessed with shopping, money and, most importantly, boys. Her current target (at least to Videl's knowledge) being none other than Son Gohan.

For some reason, that thought caused her to frown at Erasa's legs which were now directly in front of her. She blinked, taken aback by the jealousy that rose in her throat, making her want to hiss and spit fury at her friend. _Ok, now I'm just being stupid. Gohan isn't _mine_ or anything. I don't even like the guy. _It was only Videl's resolute mind that kept her from questioning the thought any further.

Her mind suddenly went blank as she caught sight of Erasa's hand, swinging idly by her side as her other elbow lent on the desk. Clutched in her hand was a stupendously florescent pink pen, the end of which sprouted an abundance of rosy fluff.

Videl's breath hitched in her throat. _Kill it._ A voice other than her own rang in her head in a sharp whisper._ Kill it._

Subconsciously, she dropped down into a crouch, her tail flicking back and forth in time with the pen that she watched with dilated pupils. _Kill it._ The voice sang. _Kill it. Kill it. Kill it. Kill it!_ Faster and faster it came, getting louder with each passing second until it drowned out the rest of the world._ Kill it! Kill it! Kill it! Kill it! KILL IT!_ She pounced at the creature, wrenching it from Erasa's grip as she grabbed a hold of it in sharp teeth and dragged it to the floor.

Erasa gasped as her pen was torn from her grip and she looked down to see it being mauled ruthlessly by Gohan's little black cat.

_Die! Die!_ Videl sank her claws into the vexing creature maliciously, her human common sense overruled by cat instincts.

"Erm… Gohan. Your cat's trying to kill my pen." The laughter filled voice brought Videl back to her senses. She blinked, her pupils returning to their normal size and looked down at the pen she had pinned to the floor. Tufts of fluff had been ripped out and were scattered across the floor, a piece of the fuzzy material sticking out of her mouth.

"Neko!" Gohan hissed, taken aback by the cat's sudden appearance. Videl spat out the oddly coloured plumage and looked up at Gohan guiltily.

"Calm down, Gohan. No harm done." Erasa giggled, reaching down and scratching Videl's head affectionately.

Gohan cast a panicked eye around the room and, not counting the irritant glare Sharpener seemed to have glued to him, no one had noticed his furry little ward. He looked back to the cat, which in turn looked up at him with wide, innocent blue eyes. Had it only just occurred to him that it was odd for a cat this old to have blue eyes? It seems odd that he hadn't though about that until now. _Strange. They almost seem… familiar._ He shook his head to clear his cluttered mind.

"Alright." Gohan whispered, brushing aside his inner disharmony to focus on the problem at hand. "She can stay out, but you can't be seen by _anyone_neko. Alright?" His words were earnest as he stared at the feline who seemed to absorb everything he said, replying in a muted nod of her head.

His glaze stayed on her a moment longer then returned to the lecture, Videl's eyes still trained upon him. _This guy is too good to be true._ The thought made the corner of her lip twitch upward into a contorted smile, the blood rushing to her face to stain her cheeks under her black fur.

Unable to find any other way to thank him, Videl wiggled her head free from where it was trapped under Erasa hand and she bounced her way to Gohan's side in that spry, graceful manner that only cats can attain.

Gohan looked down as he felt something brush his leg just it time to see the tip of Videl's tail sweep over his pant leg before she curled up at his feet.

_I'm on your side, Gohan-san._ Videl told his mentally, her smile still in place as she closed her eyes._ I'm on your side._

And so it was for the rest of the morning. Gohan would travel to his lesson with his furry contraband held within the satchel he held with such tender care. When he arrived he would place the bag beneath the desk where Videl would sneak out, stretch her legs out and lay down at his feet. In fact, other than a near miss when a student banged into Gohan's bag at break, causing Videl to yowl in pain, no one was any the wiser to the cat's presence.

"Eeee! She's so cute!"

"It's only a bleeding cat Erasa."

Well, except Sharpener and Erasa of course.

The two blondes, along with Gohan and the feline Videl were, at present, sat beneath the extensive oak tree they had sheltered under just the day before (though for Videl it seemed a life time ago). The rain had stopped before break but the ground was still irrepressibly damp so they had to sit on their coats but the day was warm and getting brighter by the minute, leaving no good reason for it to be wasted on taking lunch inside.

That and Videl could hardly wander about inside the school cafeteria.

The feisty Satan girl was currently trying to escape the overzealous hug that her bubbly friend had her trapped in as she rubbed her cheek against the soft fur on the cats head.

But both her struggle and the blondes banter went unnoticed by Gohan. The teenage Son sat with his knees pulled to his chest, his head rested atop the arms that pinned them there, as he stared blindly at the playing field and the city beyond. His calm masquerade hid the inner turmoil that bubbled beneath the surface.

_What am I going to do? Videl could be anywhere and I can't pin point her ki for the life of me. It's so faint; it's almost as if there's something stopping it from getting through. But that doesn't make any sense! What could do that to someone's ki? Kami, what am I going to do? Where are you Videl? Where are you right now? Who are you with? Are you safe? Are you hurt? Are you scared?_

"Ouch!" He jerked his head up at the sound of Erasa's indignant cry. He twisted his head around in time to see his furry companion jump from the girl's arm. "She bit me." She whined, placing her thumb in her mouth to suck at the teeth marked digit.

_Well, dur._ Videl thought to her self as she walked across the damp grass to the safer territory beside Gohan. _You should have seen that one coming. Damn. I never realised how scary that girl can be. Sheesh._

Gohan couldn't help but chuckle lightly as Erasa shouted at her fellow blond for the bout of laughter that her plight caused him.

He watched them for a minute before he felt eyes watching him. He looked down to see blue eyes watching him worriedly, as if sensing the worry radiating from him. He smiled and lay down on the grass, revelling in the feeling of damp easing through the cotton of his shirt to touch the skin on his back.

Videl looked at Gohan as he lay back, hands behind his head as he looked up at the tree's thick foliage. _Was he worrying about me again?_ She pondered. All morning she had watched the same faraway, protective look upon his face. She had seen it the day before when he was talking about his worry for her and, though she felt guilty for causing him to worry, she felt a warmth pool in her heart at the though of someone worrying about her for no reason other than that they cared.

Smiling slightly, she jumped up and perched on Gohan's stomach, watching to see what he would do. Rather than push her off or ignore her weight, Gohan closed his eyes and smiled, reaching up to scratch behind her ear. Videl lay down and felt a purr itch as her throat.

To be honest, she needed the comfort as much as he did.

"After school…" She opened her eyes and looked at Gohan as he whispered for only her to hear. "After school, I will go and look for Videl again. I have to find her. I just have to." Her breath hitched in her throat and she wondered again just why the boy cared for her so much.

* * *

AN: OK, I'm only a day late. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I love deadlines. I especially love the whooshing sound they make as they go flying out the window.

I'm rather disappointed at my own lack of dedication. It took me way too long to write this. But in my defence I did have to write 2 essays at the same time. Oh well, I shall have to work on that.

May not be updating for a bit since I have a bit of a personal mission going on down here and I want to do another chapter of Cloud Kisses.

Thanks again for the many, many, MANY reviews. Love and cookies for all!


	5. Chapter 5

AN: Personal mission is complete. Cloud Kisses has been updated. So, it's back to writing Videl Neko. Thank you all for your loving reviews, I greatly appreciate each and every one of them. Sorry I suck at updating. It's not my fault if I'm a hyper flake.

**Disclaimer: **I wanna be a freak, don't know why. I wanna sprout wings and try to fly. That song belongs to Spunge and Dragonball Z belongs to Akira Toriyama. Neither belongs to me.

**Last Time: **

"After school…" She opened her eyes and looked at Gohan as he whispered for only her to hear. "After school, I will go and look for Videl again. I have to find her. I just have to." Her breath hitched in her throat and she wondered again just why the boy cared for her so much.

**Chapter 5**

Gohan touched down inside the dank ally way. As promised he had fled the high school as soon as the bell rang and was on the roof in a flash, pressing the button on his watch and soaring through the skies.

Now he pressed the button on his watch again, reverting back to his normal street clothes and looked about the shadowy back street.

A soft hit at his side made him laugh and reach inside his bag.

"Sorry Neko, you wanna help me look?" He said, placing the cat on the floor.

_No, I don't want to help you look for me. I just couldn't breathe was all. Wash your gym sock, would you?_ Videl thought, getting her footing and padding after Gohan further into the gloom. _Hey, I remember this place._

"This is where I lost Videl's scent." Gohan said, as much to himself as to the cat that stalked him.

"Mew?" _Say WHAT? Scent? Please tell me that's just some kind of code._

"It's like it just disappeared. It doesn't make any sense." He stopped suddenly, leaving Videl to walk into the back of his leg, sending her tumbling back onto her rear end. She shook her head to clear the gathering stars and scowled up at Gohan. _Why, thank you._ She grumbled mentally, before something familiar caught her eye. She twisted her head to the side and blinked at the sight of one of her purple boots, lying discarded against the wall, half covered in trash.

She jumped up and ran over to it, clinching it between sharp teeth and dragging it out of the garbage. With a little effort, she struggled to drag the boot over to where Gohan was standing before dropping it at his feet, causing him to look down.

"Huh? What have you found little neko?" He bent down and picked up the shoe, turning it over in his hands and scrutinising the now battered material. "A boot? I know your trying to help neko but I don't need a boot." He smiled at her, rubbed a hand over her head and threw the boot against the wall and walked off.

Videl sat there, staring after him. _Note to self: write name on shoes in case I ever get turned into a cat by reasons unknown and have to identify said shoe._ Letting out a heavy breath of air, she rushed after Gohan and stopped beside him. She looked up at him, watching as he eyed the ground in confusion.

"That's wired. I wonder where the rest of that cloth went." He questioned the air. Videl followed his gaze to an eerily familiar patch of tarmac, a trace of a dark stain making itself known. Videl shivered at the sight of her own blood lying dried up on the ground of the disgusting ally.

Gohan sighed overhead. "I guess we're not going to find much here. Come on, we'll head to Videl's house, maybe she did keep going." With that, he headed past the spot and headed out of the side street and back into the light of the main street. Videl followed after him, giving the creepy spot a wide birth and rushing to get out into the open.

As soon as she felt light on her body she was stopped dead by a rustling sound from behind her. Twisting her head around, she watched as a man with matted hair and dull brown cloths snatched her boot from the garbage, examine it before placing it on his hand and scuttle back into the darkness. A shiver ran down Videl's spine. _Great. A homeless maniac has my shoe. Just lovely. Kami, I hope he doesn't have the rest of my clothes._ The image of a homeless man sniffing her bloodstained gym shirt flashed across her mind's eye. _Eeeew!_

"Come on neko!" Gohan called from up ahead._ Easy for you to say._ Videl thought._ No homeless bums have your clothes._

"Meow." She called, skittering after her adoptive keeper until they were walking side by side down the near deserted streets.

* * *

Ten minutes later found Gohan and his feline companion outside the Satan Mansion.

And it seemed they weren't the only ones.

Hordes of cameramen and news reporters and random people from the street were stood outside the imposing iron gates, shouting inside while flashbulbs went off all around them.

Suddenly the shouts became even more frantic and loud, the flashes more incisive and the crowd bustled about as everyone tried to get a good view. Gohan and Videl too were caught up in the rowdiness and Videl was finding it more and more difficult to stay near to Gohan as people pushed against him and multiple feet threatened to crush her.

"Ladies and Gentlemen." Videl and Gohan raised their heads as a veritable silence descended upon the crowd, brought about by a booming voice that came over the loud speaker. Where Videl was deprived of the sight of anything but hordes of legs, Gohan could easily see the podium erected before the gates from over the heads of the rest of the crowd. On it, a balding man in a cheerless black suit stood sweating before a microphone. "On behalf of my client, Mr Satan, it is with deepest regret that we must report the disappearance of his daughter, Miss Videl Satan."

_Yeah_,Videl thought bitterly as she listened to her father's layer whilst simultaneously trying to steer clear of any incoming feet._ 'Cause now he's gonna look bad._

"Though we have yet to gain any leads, it is presumed that the young Videl was kidnapped whilst returning to Orange Star High, located in the west of Satan City, after a hold up at the Orange Star Research facility twenty two blocks away."

_Yeah, right! I spend my days fighting armed and dangerous criminals, its not like I couldn't escape some two-bit, wannabe kidnappers. What an insult!_

"It is also believed that Miss Satan was injured at this time, and thus vulnerable to attack."

_Hey, don't try and weasel out of it mister. Excuse or no excuse, you still insulted me… jackass._

"We have the entirety of the Satan police force set to try and find Miss Satan and it is hoped she shall be returned home safely. In the mean time, police are urging witnesses to come forward with any information they may have in this case. That is all."

With that the man left the stage and the crowd was thrown into pandemonium, hurling questions at the man. Hurriedly, Gohan stooped down and gathered Videl in his arms before weaving his way out of the crowd and rushing down an accompanying street.

Once the crowds were out of sight, Gohan walked slower. In his arms Videl fumed away, mentally cursing her father, lawyers and general idiots everywhere until Gohan suddenly spoke.

"Videl wasn't kidnapped." He stated matter-of-factly, his voice and face both full of seriousness as he frowned at the street that fanned out ahead. Videl would have given anything at that moment to know what Gohan was thinking. In reality, the saiyan/human hybrid's mind was a veritable blank. He was finding it hard to focus on any particular subject at the moment.

"Perhaps Bulma can help." He mused, looking about only to find the street deserted, and dipping into a side street.

_Bulma. Bulma. Where have I heard that name before?_ Videl pondered but within seconds the ally flashed with light and Saiyaman was flying them both through the skies towards West City.

* * *

Just a few minutes later and Gohan was touching down at the Capsule Corp. entrance, the frosted glass doors sliding open in anticipation of his arrival.

_Alright,_ Videl reasoned calmly _no big deal. Gohan is just… asking for directions. Yup, nothing wired about that._

"Gohan!" Goten cried, skidding round the corner as Gohan stepped through the threshold.

_Crap._

"Hey there kiddo. Where's…" Gohan stopped when a lavender haired boy came running up after Goten. "Oh, never mind." Gohan laughed. "Hey, Trunks."

"Hiya Gohan-kun." Trunks chirped happily, his eyes landing upon the wide-eyed Videl. "Hey, is that her Goten?" He asked, pointing to the cat held in Gohan's protective arms.

"Yep." Goten replied proudly. "That's our kitty cat." All the while Videl was thinking _Gohan can fly, pick up cars with his bare hands and reflect bullets. I really shouldn't be surprised by anything anymore and yet… bang. He goes and drops **another** bombshell. But hey, who am I to talk? I'm a cat._

"I'm sorry," Gohan laughed at the two hyperactive children. "But I really do need to see your mom Trunks. Do you know where she is?"

A shadow of disappointment passed across Trunks' face but it soon fled. "Sure," he nodded "She's down in her lab."

"Thanks." The teen ruffled the boy's hair affectionately as he walked past.

"Hey Gohan?" Gohan turned around at the sound of his younger brother's voice.

"Yeah squirt?"

"Will you play with us when you're all finished?" The youngest Son looked up with wide, innocent orbs that made his brother smile.

"Sure. As soon as I'm all done, I promise I'll play with you, 'K?" The two young boys grinned at this.

"Ok, oniichan! See you later!" And with that the two raced back to wherever it was they came from, joking and laughing all the way.

Capsule Corporation was, quite simply, huge. Outside it looked large but inside it seemed ten times bigger with its endless corridors and impossible supply of strange, secretive doors that passed by as Gohan made his way to the labs on the bottom floor.

Videl's eyes were everywhere at once, trying to absorb every inch of the legendary Capsule Corporation HQ. How the **hell** did Gohan know his way around? And why in kami's name was Goten playing with the son of Bulma Briefs? And didn't he say he wanted to see his _mom_! Her mind was spinning with questions that she had no way to find an answer to.

Gohan stopped suddenly outside a hefty metal door. The shiny surface seemed thicker than the others and an intricate control panel lay on the wall beside the door.

Rather than knocking as Videl excepted, he lifted his hand to the control panel and tapped at the numbers at a lightning pace.

_He has the password? Gohan has the password to the labs at Capsule Corp! _

The control panel gave an accepting bleep and the heavy doors slid open before them. Gohan stepped through and the doors closed once more and the pair of them began winding their way through the mess of the lab. Pieces of half-finished machinery and yet-to-be-installed parts littered the ground and every available surface, separated only by large sheets of blue prints and the wide array of computers.

"Just one second, Gohan. I'll be right with you." A feminine voice called from behind the bonnet of fiery red hover car.

"Sure thing Bulma." Gohan replied, placing Videl down on the floor, not seeing her stumble precariously at the sound of the woman's name.

Moments later, the car's bonnet was shut with a light bang and a woman walked towards Gohan, rubbing her hands on an oily cloth, her cropped blue hair falling into dazzling blue eyes.

"Sorry about that. So, what can I do you for?" She smiled at the teen though Gohan didn't smile back.

"I need your help, Bulma-san." The serious edge in his voice seemed to startle the woman as her smile disappeared.

"Why? What's wrong?"

"You remember me telling you about that girl in my class, Videl Satan?"

"Hercule's kid? Yeah, I remember. She still stalking you?"

"Not exactly. You see…" At this point, Videl stopped even trying to listen to the conversation. Pushing past the confusion and questions littering her mind, curiosity piped up. _I'm in Capsule Corp._ She thought matter-of-factly._ I'm in Capsule Corp and no one knows I'm here. Well, not ME me. Not Videl Satan. I may never get this chance again._

Her interest was quipped and nothing could stop Videl when she wanted something.

Keeping a keen eye on the pair, she crept through the mess of scientific apparatus until she reached the towering door. She was just wondering how she was going to get out when a buzzer sounded and the doors slid open, revealing a grey haired man in a long white lab coat, a black cat draped over one shoulder.

"Oh my." He said, blinking down at Videl. "What are you doing here?"

Not waiting around to see if Gohan or Bulma had heard the man, Videl ran though his legs and shot off down the corridor.

For almost five minutes she ran blindly down corridors until she could run no longer. She slowed to a stop and, breathing deeply, she looked around her. There was nothing different about this part of the hall from the others. The carpet was the same shade of blue and only a few potted palms added any colour to the grey-blue walls.

She began to walk forward again but this time at a leisurely pace, trying to remember her way back to the labs. She could visualise a set of stairs but everything else was just a blur of green and blue.

Rounding a corner she ground her mind and her feet were ground to a halt by a pair of white, gold tipped boots.

She blinked at them with wide blue eyes and swallowed before looking up.

A man towered over her, arms folded and a look of disdain on his frowning features. There was something about his muscled form and flame-like dark hair that made alarm bells ring in her mind but she ignored them, focusing on the matter at hand.

The flame-haired man raised one eyebrow, the rest of his face staying in its harsh mask. Without warning, he dropped down onto his hunches so they we face to face. Startled, Videl stared into his penetrating, unreadable black orbs, locking them in a silent battle of wills._ What a freak._ Videl though to herself as the man stared at her._ But, I can't ditch the feeling that I've seen him before somewhere._

For a moment she could have sworn she saw his nose twitch, as if smelling for something, but she passed it off as a trick of the light. Nevertheless, barely a second later a feral smirk broke out across his face.

"This should be good." He said in a deep voice that filled Videl with foreboding. "How very amusing"

* * *

AN: I hate to stop there but I have a gig to get to. I kept braking off while doing this as I have found I have a new-found addiction to eBay. I got the cutest model for my best friend's birthday gift (I won't say what in case she reads this) and a totally awesome model of Videl and Saiyaman for me. I also have my eye on a Vegeta shirt that totally rules. I hope I get it. 


	6. Chapter 6

AN: I'm slacking again. Hey look! I cannot believe how long it's been since I updated! Oh, look! There goes my New Years Resolutions, flying out the window! Le sigh.

WOW! 100+ reviews! For only 5 chapters! I am SO happy!

**Disclaimer: **You wanna know more, more, more about me? I'm the girl that's kicking the coke machine. That song is property of Skye Sweetnam. Much as Dragonball Z is property to Akira Toriyama.

**Last Time: **

A man towered over her, arms folded and a look of disdain on his frowning features. There was something about his muscled form and flame-like dark hair that made alarm bells ring in her mind but she ignored them, focusing on the matter at hand.

The flame-haired man raised one eyebrow, the rest of his face staying in its harsh mask. Without warning, he dropped down onto his hunches so they we face to face. Startled, Videl stared into his penetrating, unreadable black orbs, locking them in a silent battle of wills._ What a freak._ Videl though to herself as the man stared at her._ But, I can't ditch the feeling that I've seen him before somewhere._

For a moment she could have sworn she saw his nose twitch, as if smelling for something, but she passed it off as a trick of the light. Nevertheless, barely a second later a feral smirk broke out across his face.

"This should be good." He said in a deep voice that filled Videl with foreboding. "How very amusing"

**Chapter 6**

She stared at him. His voice, deep and sinister, sung through her mind mockingly and the underlying threat in his smirk made her skin crawl. She started to back away, the hairs on her tail fluffed out and her hackles raised as she bared her fangs in a decidedly cat-like defence mechanism. This stranger that stalked the halls of Capsule Corp with his unreadable eyes and his cold smirk frightened her and she wished for nothing but to get away from him as soon as possible.

Seeing the cat before him receding into a defensive position seemed to amuse the man. His ugly snarl parted and he threw back his head, spewing forth a sharp laugh that stopped Videl short. She stared at him with wide eyes, having being started from her armoured position. He dropped his head back and stared at her again with that amused smirk.

Videl stumbled backwards in fear and, not giving herself time to think twice, spun around and bolted back round the corner from whence she came…

And smack bang into a set of hard legs that sent her tumbling to a heap, yelping as she hit her yet to heal wound.

"Oh deere me." A high pitched female voice sounded from above. Cringing slightly against the pain shooting through her small frame, Videl looked up to see a woman with a concerned face and a plume of blonde hair fluffed up above her. The strange female bent down beside her quickly, gathering her up in her arms like a mother with her babe. "You poor little kitty." She cooed, cuddling Videl to her chest as she straightened. "I'm so sorry. Are you hurt? Where did you come from? Oh, you poor thing."

Ignoring the strange blonde's babble, Videl twisted in her arms and looked back the way she'd come. Her heart made a manic jolt as that same, strange man rounded the corner, his arms folded across what she could now see to be a well-sculpted chest as a malicious smirk rode his lips.

He lent casually against the wall, looking every inch the royalty he undoubtedly believed himself to be.

"Oh, hello Vegeta." The woman chirped, not even phased by the dark man's sudden presence. "What a pleasant surprise. It's not often I see you out of your training room." The man, who Videl could now identify as Vegeta, made no attempt to reply to the blond or even indicate he had heard her. He just continued to stare at Videl with his twisted smirk.

For a moment, nothing was said and a heavy silence rained down upon the three stood in the middle of the CC hallway. Then, with no warning, Vegeta was gone, walking regally back round the corner.

"Bye-bye Vegeta." The woman holding Videl called, oblivious to his disinterest in her. "Dinner will be about an hour." Videl looked up at the apparently crazy woman in disbelief as she smiled after the man._ Gohan almost seems normal compared to these people._ She turned back to the corner and stuck out her small pink tongue in defiance.

"What a nice man. Now, what shall we do with you kitty cat?"

* * *

"Neko! Neko, where are you?" Gohan sighed as he continued to pace down corridor. How had he managed to lose her? She was right by his feet and then… nothing. When Dr. Briefs had wandered in, curious as to the identity of the feline that had darted out between his legs, Gohan had felt an odd wave of guilt and worry for the strange cat that had fallen into his life at such a considerably troubling time.

It was that same wave of emotion that had lead him to excuse himself from Bulma's presence, and much-needed aid, to go in search of his furry companion.

Thus leading to his current situation: wandering the halls of Capsule Corporation searching fruitlessly for a stray cat with (still) no idea how to find Videl, who remained worryingly M.I.A.

_Perhaps,_ Gohan thought hopefully to himself with little conviction._ Bulma will have thought up a solution by the time I get back. At least she knows what's going on now, so there's a least some chance…_

His wandering thoughts were quieted as he let of another sigh. This whole situation was making him feel rather tired.

He was just about to raise his hand to his mouth in order to shout out again when someone beat him to it.

"Gohan!" The distinctly feminine voice caused him to turn around, stopping in his tracks.

"Oh, hello Mrs Briefs. It's nice to see you…" A cheerful mew alerted Gohan to additional company. "Neko!" At Gohan's reply to her presence, the cat leapt gracefully from the arms of Bunny Briefs and rushed across the floor towards Gohan.

_Thank Kami it's you!_ Videl meowed up at him with alien cheer when she came to a halt at his feet._ You would not believe some of the weirdoes in this place! _

Gohan blinked as the little black cat mewed up at him, her peculiar blue eyes dancing with pleasure at the sight of him.

"Oh, Gohan, is this your kitty? The blonde Briefs woman questioned with a naivety that went beyond even Gohan's well known personality.

"Oh, I'm just looking after her. I'm pretty sure she's a stray." Gohan said, bending down to scratch behind Videl's ear, an action that rewarded him with a muted purr from the girl turned cat.

Bunny gasped at this information, her built-in protectiveness for animals ringing like alarm bells in her head. "A stray? Oh, that poor thing! For such a sweet little kitty to be fighting for survival in such a heartless city -" Videl had to keep herself from glaring at the woman for that one. "-I won't hear of it!" She suddenly cheered up considerably. "She can stay here with us! We certainly have the room and I'm sure she'd fit right in with the others."

_No!_ Panic washed over Videl at the woman's plan._ I can't stay here! He may be a bit odd, but Gohan's my best chance of getting back to normal! If I'm stuck here I can't do a thing!_

"That's really kind of you Mrs Briefs…" Gohan started, but Videl was having none of it. In unrestrained desperation she launched herself at Gohan's hand - that had been resting lightly on her head - digging sharp fangs into his skin with as much force as she could muster. "Ouch. Hey." Gohan looked down to see the feline clinging to his hand with surprising force.

Mrs Briefs giggled as she watched the display.

"Looks like your friend doesn't want to leave you, Gohan-chan." She smiled while Gohan blinked up at her in confusion, his eyes then turning back to the animal biting his hand.

Videl looked up into Gohan's eyes and watched as the black orbs softened. Slowly, her jaw slackened and came away from his hand as her gaze stayed on his. In her chest, her heart seemed to believe it had grown wings and was fluttering decisively behind her ribs.

"You really want to stay with me?" Gohan asked, and for a minute Videl forgot he was talking to a cat as everything that had happened over the past two days faded into a distant memory and she was just a teenage girl stood before him.

And her head moved in a slow nod. Not neko. Just Videl.

Gohan's face was lit with a kindly smile that made the corners of Videl's lips tilt upwards subconsciously heat rushing to her furry cheeks.

"Well, now that that's settled, I believe I shall go and make sure nothing's burning. Those funny little robots of my Bulma's are great and all, but really. No concept of time." Bunny spoke to herself more than Gohan.

"Ok, Mrs Briefs." Gohan smiled, raising from his crouching position. "It was very nice to see you again."

"Oh, yes dear of course." Bunny smiled back, before disappearing in a haze of sweet smelling perfume and blond hair.

Gohan watched until the woman was out of sight before turning about. He looked down at the cat at his feet before making a move. "Let's get back to Bulma Ok? Hopefully she can help me with Videl."

The mention of her name had Videl crashing back into the reality of her cat status. Her heartbeat calmed at her mental chiding as she rushed to keep up with Gohan's long strides, her mind focusing back on the task at hand.

But by the gods her jaw hurt. What was his skin made out of anyway?

* * *

AN: I have been trying to write for WEEKS now and I can't take this lack of creativity ANYMORE! It is unfair to keep you guys waiting without any sign of an update. This is NOTHING! Worse than nothing – it is filler divel! FILLER DRIVEL I TELL YOU! I hate that this is the best I can achieve but I just can't help it. I'm going to go and cry into my math homework now.

PLEASE help me get going again guys! You're my last hope for survival!


	7. Chapter 7

AN: Hee hee. I'm updating (relatively) quickly. My big brother is getting married over the holidays so I wanted to get this written before I leave for the week (can you believe that! A whole week off and not one opportunity to pull an all night-er or spend the day sat writing! The cheek! Lol). Well, thank you for the reviews (LOOK AT THEM ALL!) and I hope you enjoy.

**Disclaimer: **Now is not a good time to photocopy your butt and staple it to your boss's face. Oh no. That song is property of Weird Al. Not mine. Dragon Dragon, rock the dragon, Dragonball Z! That is the opening theme tune to the American version of Dragonball Z, property of Akira Toriyama. Also not mine.

**Last Time: **

"Looks like your friend doesn't want to leave you, Gohan-chan." She smiled while Gohan blinked up at her in confusion, his eyes then turning back to the animal biting his hand.

Videl looked up into Gohan's eyes and watched as the black orbs softened. Slowly, her jaw slackened and came away from his hand as her gaze stayed on his. In her chest, her heart seemed to believe it had grown wings and was fluttering decisively behind her ribs.

"You really want to stay with me?" Gohan asked, and for a minute Videl forgot he was talking to a cat as everything that had happened over the past two days faded into a distant memory and she was just a teenage girl stood before him.

And her head moved in a slow nod. Not neko. Just Videl.

**Chapter 7**

The heavyset metallic doors slid open, admitting Gohan and the feline Videl entrance. Videl circled her bottom jaw, which, for some reason was still painfully numb after that whole biting incident._ Thick-skinned freak. Ow._

"Hey… Bulma?" Gohan called out through the echoing lab.

"Over here Gohan." The Brief's heiress called back. Gohan, with Videl at his heals, followed her voice to a large computer on the other side of the room. Bulma sat before the giant screen, typing away with an unmatchable speed, her father stood behind her looking upwards. "Well, good news travels fast it seems." Bulma said as she stopped typing and opened up another window on the screen. Videl's face stared back at them, reams of text surrounding the image. "The alleged 'kidnapping' of Videl Satan is the hottest news around. Looks like Mr Satan is pulling out all the stops to find his little girl."

"So I hear." Gohan sighed, looking up at Videl's picture. "Trouble is even _I_ don't know what's happened to her so Kami only knows how the police are going to find her."

Videl tilted her head to the side, staring up at the screen._ Is that _really_ the best picture they could find? What an awful representation. They could at least have gotten one of me fighting crime instead of my school picture._

"Well I'm not sure what to say to you, Gohan." Bulma said apologetically, looking up at the teen's worried face. "But it would probably be a good idea for you to go and check out that research centre or where ever it was she was last seen. Maybe that'd help."

"Maybe. I'll have to go tomorrow though, I don't have any time now." Gohan replied regretfully.

"Well I wouldn't leave it too long if I were you. Police are probably swarming all over that place already."

"Hmm."

For a minute, nothing more was said as the four of them looked up at the screen before them, until Dr Briefs caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of his eye.

"Ahh, so _this_ is your little friend, 'ey Gohan?" He asked heartily, smiling down at a blinking Videl.

_Why do people keep calling me little? I'm not that short._

"Oh, um. Yeah, that's her." Gohan said, the sudden change of mood throwing him a bit.

Dr Briefs knelt before Videl, who stared back at him with blue orbs when another set of eyes caught her attention. Looking over to the man's shoulder she saw for the first time the small black cat that sat there, looking back at her with hypnotic wide eyes.

"Well aren't you the little cutie?" Dr Briefs smiled, raising a hand to tickle behind Videl's ear. She flinched when she saw the hand moving towards her as it shocked her out of her unofficial staring match with the strange cat, then relented and allowed him to tickle the silky fur.

"Where did you say you found her again?" Bulma asked, twisting around in her chair to look at the feline version of Videl.

"Oh, well I didn't really get a chance to." Gohan replied. "I found her when I was looking for Videl. She was in an ally all beaten up and I figured I should take care of her."

"Really, Gohan. You have to learn that you cant save_ everybody_ all the time." Bulma sighed in an exasperated manner, but there was a trace of a smile in her voice. Gohan laughed nervously, rubbing self-consciously at the back of his neck.

"Well I think it was a splendid idea." Dr Briefs said, successfully regaining Videl's attention. "But I must say, that injury of hers is rather intriguing." He gave an odd grin to Gohan. "Mind if I have a look see? Maybe there's something I could do to help."

"Dad…" Bulma began with a warning tone.

"Oh, no Bulma. It's OK. If it'll help her then it's probably a good idea he has a look." Gohan incited. Bulma worried her bottom lip for a moment then sighed, a gesture that seemed almost a trademark for the woman.

"Fine," She pulled herself from her chair. "I'm going to go see how dinner's coming along. You be good dad."

"Actually, I better go find Goten and Trunks. I promised I'd play with them when I was done. Be back in a little bit neko." And with that, Gohan and Bulma left the labs, leaving Videl alone with the Doctor and his wide-eyed cat.

"Well then," Dr Briefs said as the doors slid closed. "Lets have a look see, shall we?" He smiled again and lifted Videl off the ground. Walking across the room he went through another set of doors and into a different lab, a shining table lying at the centre of the tidy room. He placed Videl on it, then pulled his own feline from his shoulder and sat him next to her of the silvery surface. "You look after our guest, kitty, while I go get my things." He addressed his cat before leaving once more.

Videl let out a puff of air.

"What, don't _I_ get a say in this?" She meowed.

"Guess not." Her fur shot upwards in shock, her eyes growing wide. Hesitantly, she turned her head to look at the black cat sat beside her. He sat idly, tail swishing back and forth as he watched the door his master left by.

"E-excuse… me?" She asked with a hesitant mew.

The cat turned his wide eyes to Videl, staring at her unblinkingly.

"When father sets his sights on something he's pretty unstoppable." The cat gave by way of explanation in his high pitched meow. Videl stumbled backwards into a sitting position.

"W-wait. Y-you can understand me? And, I know w-what your saying?" Her mind was abuzz with questions, as the oddity of the situation went careening through her battered psyche. The cat just blinked.

"Yes. Why shouldn't you?"

Videl stared at him. This was not happening. This was **not** happening. She wasn't sat on a table in Capsule Corporation having a conversation with a _cat_. It was too much.

"You're not really a cat, are you?" Videl looked at the calm eyed cat with surprise, momentarily forgetting the absurdity of their conversation.

"What?"

"You don't act like a cat. And you certainly don't smell like a cat. So, I don't think you're really a cat." He said calmly, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Needless to say, he was perfectly right. Videl just stared, shocked by his accuracy. "So who are you, really?"

"I'm…" _Oh, sure. Why not?_ "I'm Videl Satan."

"Oh, yes. The girl father and sissy and Gohan were talking about." Videl vaguely identified father to mean Dr Briefs and sissy to mean Bulma. "The missing girl in the picture."

"Yeah," Videl sighed. "That's me alright."

"Well, what a funny place to hide." He said in the same emotionless echo. Videl blinked.

"Wait… don't you think it's… strange?" She was beginning to doubt the feline's sanity.

"No." His tail swished to the other side. "I've seen stranger."

"What do you mean?" There was plenty of time to be freaked out later. Right now she could learn a lot from this little animal.

"I see lots of things." He mewed simply, blinking wide eyes again. Videl frowned. What kind of answer was that?

"What _kind_ of things?" She stressed, urging the cat to reveal more. The animal simply stretched out then lay down of his side; feet and eyes directed straight at Videl.

"Sissy has some strange friends with strange secrets. Father sees lots, so I do too." He clenched his paws in and out as he spoke, seemingly entirely at home with the labs and his new girl/cat friend.

"What kind of strange friends? You mean like Gohan?"

"Yes. He has lots of secrets. But some of them have bad secrets, Gohan has nice secrets." Blink._ This cat should be a freakin' politician. I haven't gotten a straight answer yet._

"What do you _mean_ bad secrets and good secrets?" Videl asked, her patience straining. "And who is them?"

"Them. The fighters." He explained, as if it should be obvious. "The ones that fight for the planet. Some of _them_ have bad secrets."

Videl's mind whirled. Who? What _fighters_? She was either insane to be listening to a cat or insane not to take him seriously, and she honestly couldn't work out which she was, or indeed which he was.

"W-what _kind_ of bad secrets?" She tried to keep the animal on track.

"All kinds." He told her with a swish of his tail. "Some of them are not what they seem and some of them were very bad before. But now they're good. Even if they wont admit it. That's what sissy says."

"They're not… what they seem?" She latched on to the comment with curiosity. Who was he talking about? The feline before her gave a distinctive wide-eyed blink.

"The Saiyans." She stared at him. What was a saiyan?

Before she could ask, the door drew open again, and through it came Dr Briefs, a hefty bag in one hand and a smile upon his face.

"Sorry you two. Couldn't find this thing for the life of me." He chuckled, stopping before the table. Videl watched as her companion stood up and mewed at his 'father'. "Ok then kitty. Up you get." The doctor grabbed the cat with one hand and placed him back upon his shoulder where he settled down as if he had never left. Watching all over again. "Let's have a look at this scratch of yours then, shall we?"

* * *

Videl walked out of the imposing doors stiffly. Sunlight beat down on her body, the new bandages that encircled her gripping her stomach and ribs a little too tight for comfort.

The doctor had examined her for almost an hour, hoeing and humming as he poked and prodded and cleaned. After all that work it seemed even he was baffled as to the how's and why's of her injury (though he did admit it to be "absolutely intriguing").

So now - after giving thanks to Dr Briefs, getting a promise for Bulma that she would keep her ear to the ground in all things Videl related and saying goodbye to Trunks – she, Gohan and Goten walked out of Capsule Corp. and into the outside world once more.

"That was great Gohan!" Goten informed them both happily. "You should play with me and Trunks more often, your lots of fun!" He grinned, half-skipping down the pathway. Gohan chuckled.

"Sure Goten, I'll come and play again soon." His brother gasped with joy.

"Really!"

"Sure, squirt. Next time I get the chance."

"Yay! I get to play with oniichan som' more!"

Videl watched the brothers with an odd fascination. The two were just so… _cute_ together. The way Gohan acted around his younger sibling was so different to the Gohan Videl had known at school.

"Yeash." Gohan cringed, looking down at his watch. "We'd better motor, Goten. Mom's gonna fry us alive at this rate. I'm late, _again_."

"Okay." Goten nodded, then turned around and raised his hands to his mouth. "NIMBUS!" He cried at the ever-clearing sky, causing Videl to jump at the sudden volume. She looked up at Gohan, only to see him watching the skies expectantly.

Curiously, Videl turned her attention back to the clouds and watched, unsure of what it was she was supposed to be waiting for.

A few seconds passed before something golden caught her eye. She would have missed it if not for the fact that it seemed to be heading straight at them at a frightening speed.

Her blue orbs stared with disbelief and fur stood on end as what could only be described as a fluffy gold cloud came to a halt before them.

Tearing her frantic gaze from the… thing, she looked from Gohan to Goten, only to find them both looking perfectly at ease, as if yellow clouds pulled up in front of them everyday. (It wasn't until later that Videl figured out that they probably did.)

"Ally up!" Goten said, jumping skilfully from the ground to stand on the cloud. Gohan turned to look at Videl.

"What do you say to a ride on nimbus, neko? It'll probably be a lot more comfortable that riding me home." He chuckled.

"Yay! Kitty cat can ride with me!" Goten cried excitedly, flopping down on the cloud and folding his legs in anticipation.

_Yeah, give me a minute here._ Videl thought powerlessly. _I have no time to take anything **in** with you people._

Instead, Gohan bent down and picked Videl up - ignoring her indignant mew as he did so - and placed her upon Goten's lap, who proceeded to hug her to him with childish abandon. It took all Videl's self-preservation not to dig her claws into the boy as she wiggled slightly for air. Goten's grip lessened and she was able to sit in relative comfort.

"All set, Gohan" Goten chirped when Videl stopped wriggling, smiling at his brother as the cloud raised upwards.

"Right," Gohan flicked the button on his wrist, producing his Saiyaman costume with a flicker and floating off the ground. "Race you home?"

"Yeah!" Goten cried and the two blasted upwards towards the clouds. Videl gave a yowl at the feeling of this new kind of flight and smoothed her body into Goten's.

Soon, they had evened out their height as they rode above the lower clouds and the three of them were zipping through the air, both Son boys on equal footing into their race.

Videl stared at the bit of cloud in front of Goten with a frown. The thing made no sense. If it _was_ a cloud, how could it move about at will? And how could it hold a person up? She probably shouldn't have been surprised, what with the things she had seen over the last 2 days, but this (what had Gohan called it? A Nimbus?) had caught her off guard.

Wiggling slightly to escape Goten's arms, she moved to the edge of the boy's lap. Lying down to get a better angle, she touched at the fluffy expanse with a tentative paw. She blinked at the strange mix of softness and security that the cloud offered and poked it again.

Unbeknownst to Videl, her scrutiny was being watched by two pairs of eyes. Goten looked down at the cat on his lap he suppressed a giggle, covering his mouth youthfully with his hands to disguise the laughter; while Gohan flying beside them, smiled warmly as his adoptive pet poked curiously at his father's childhood transportation.

_How sweet._ He thought warmly, looking ahead at the dusk-coated skies, turned pink and gold with the setting sun. _I don't know how I'm going to give you up again, neko.

* * *

_

Videl pulled herself to her feet and stretched out, her mouth moving to a wide yawn. Righting herself, she sat down on Gohan's bed and looked out the window at the early morning sunlight, the faint sound of bird song drifting in through the glass.

She blinked and, unconsciously put one paw to her mouth. Closing her eyes she dragged a rough tongue over the black fur before rubbing at her ear with it.

She repeated this process twice more, whipping her paw over her flopped-over ear with graceful ease.

It was just as she was putting her paw to her mouth for a fourth time that she realised what she was doing. Eyes bolting open she stared down at her paw and stuck out her tongue.

_Eww! Cat fluff! _She spat, screwing up her eyes as she tried to rid the taste from her tongue.

It was as she was doing this that Gohan came back in through the door, returning from breakfast.

"Right then." He told himself as he collected wanted items from around the room, not is quite as much of a hurry as the previous morning. "Go to school. Find Videl. Come home. That shouldn't be too hard." He pulled on his watch then picked up his satchel from the back of his chair. He looked expectantly at Videl, then raised an eyebrow. "You coming?"

Videl blinked at him. He _wanted_ her to come to school?

Gohan watched as his cat gave a dismissive meow, then lay down on the bed, curling up with her back to him in a decisive no.

He shook his head with a smile, then ran a hand over her head as he left the room.

"Ok then. See you in a little while. Take care of mom and Goten while I'm gone, 'kay?"

Videl sat up and looked at the now closed door. _I caused you far too much trouble yesterday Gohan and I'm sorry for that. I guess I'll just hang around here for today. Besides, could be fun to get to know the other members of the Son household._

She smirked.

_But don't think I won't be back tomorrow.

* * *

_

AN: Alrighty then. I had so many ideas running around in my head during this chapter. I've now got a page full of 'um in one of (my many) notebooks all on random ideas that I have for the rest of the story. Hurrah!

Also, does anyone know the name of Dr Brief's cat? All I could remember him calling him was kitty (my friend suggested Tama, but when googled, all that came up was some things about Puar and Tama-chan from Love Hina.).

And, I would really love some constructive comments in people's reviews. I really appreciate that I am loved (Eee! I am loved!) but I am aware I still need to improve my writing and I need some help with figuring out WHAT I need to improve.


	8. Chapter 8

AN: I have no excuse. I am lazy. I'm so sorry. Poetry has just overwhelmed me this past month and I've been rather inspired… just not where I should be: here. On a lighter note: YAY! Thank you F22 Raptor for agreeing to be V.N's beta!

**Disclaimer: **It's been a hard day's night and I've been working like a dog. It's been a hard day's night; I should be sleeping like a log. That highly inspirational song is property of the highly inspired Beetles. The highly inspirational Dragonball is property of the highly inspired Akira Toriyama. This story is property of the occasionally inspired Soul.

**Last Time: **

"Right then," he told himself as he collected wanted items from around the room, not in quite as much of a hurry as the previous morning. "Go to school. Find Videl. Come home. That shouldn't be too hard." He pulled on his watch, then picked up his satchel from the back of his chair. He looked expectantly at Videl, then raised an eyebrow. "You coming?"

Videl blinked at him. He _wanted_ her to come to school?

Gohan watched as his cat gave a dismissive meow, then lay down on the bed, curling up with her back to him in a decisive no.

He shook his head with a smile, then ran a hand over her head as he left the room.

"Ok then. See you in a little while. Take care of mom and Goten while I'm gone, 'kay?"

Videl sat up and looked at the now closed door. _I caused you far too much trouble yesterday Gohan and I'm sorry for that. I guess I'll just hang around here for today. Besides, it could be fun to get to know the other members of the Son household._

She smirked.

_But don't think I won't be back tomorrow._

**Chapter 8**

Videl eased one eye open sleepily, staring in front of her blindly before giving off a wide-mouthed yawn, her sharp fangs glistening and her feet stretching lazily. She blinked before rising to lie on her stomach, looking around the room idly.

She was finally starting to see the unadulterated beauty of a 'cat nap'.

Squinting slightly at the small clock on Gohan's table, she discovered that it was just after 10. _Hmm. Two hours. Not too bad. Lets see, Gohan should be in…chemistry right now. Poor guy._

Rising to her feet, she stretched her legs as she walked across the neatly made bed and made her way to the window - hopping with slight unease from the headboard to the window ledge - and sat down, gazing out the glass to the world outside.

The rain was gone once more, leaving the land fresh, the grass green and the sky clear of all but a few wisps of white. The damp scenery around Mt. Paouz stretched out in an assortment of fields, pale rocks and patches of tall woodland.

Videl watched enviously as a pair of swallows flitted across the blue expanse of sky in twin flashes of dark feathers, dancing about each other in their flight.

Speaking of which, she was getting rather hungry.

Trying not to dwell on the fact that watching birds made her hungry, Videl hopped down silkily (she sure was getting the hang of this!) from the ledge and padded across the carpet and out the open door in search of food.

Looking around at the small and undeniably cute house, she crossed the small landing and hopped down the carpeted stairs. This particular manoeuvre turned out to be harder than first imagined, as Videl had found out the day before in Capsule Corporation. Trying to organise four feet and keep your balance while your body is tilted downward at a fair 35-degree angle is quite a handful.

Eventually - after a few wobbles and numerous threats of falling – Videl made it to the bottom of the treacherous stairway. Based on her memories of her short stay and the sound of music and clattering pans, Videl found her way to the entrance of the kitchen. Inside, the dark haired woman she knew to be Gohan's mother stood before the sink, running a wet cloth over a sud-covered pan. Beside her, a small black radio was playing an old love song Videl didn't remember but Chi-chi hummed along to the song lazily.

Videl sat down as she watched the woman. She was certainly unpredictable to say the least. When the three of them had returned home the night before, there had been fire in her eyes and in her mouth, as she scolded her boys for their tardiness, then she had sighed and the fire was gone, replaced instantly by a long-suffering fondness for her children.

She had made several more of these hairpin turnarounds as the night had carried on, each of which had thrown Videl into a panic of confusion but which Gohan and Goten seemed to take in their stride (all be it with a cringe).

Now that she thought about it: where was _Mr_ Son?

Chi-chi gave a start, her humming ceasing as she realised she was being watched.

"My word." She placed a damp hand on her heart as she turned to Videl. "You didn't half make me jump."

_All right, I've been spotted._ Videl thought. _Now, if she's anything like the cooks at home, all I have to do is look cute and the food will find me._

Chi-chi watched as the cat tilted her furry black head to one side, ears flopped downwards as she looked up at her imploringly. She sighed, then smiled yieldingly.

"For some reason, you remind me of Goku when you do that." She gazed unseeingly at Videl, her eyes shining in some private memory. "He would always make that face when he wanted something." She giggled good-naturedly. "And with his appetite, that was a lot of the time."

Videl frowned, her ears pricking upwards._ Goku? The mysterious Mr. Son perhaps?_ Son Goku. Why did that ring bells?

Curious, she mewed up at the woman who was still lost in her memories. Blinking, Chi-chi's eyes returned to their normal, un-glistening, state.

"Oh yes," she said with a dazed voice. "You must be hungry." Videl nodded. "Let's see what we have then."

As it turned out, there was rather little. Since the black-hole-like eating habit of Gohan's ran in the family (another thing Videl had found out the previous night), there was little to no leftovers and few food items left in the cupboards.

Eventually, Videl was given a bowl of porridge that was left over from breakfast and heated up in the microwave.

As Videl lapped away at the warm, lumpy mixture, Chi-chi (having abandoned the last of the washing up) sat at the kitchen table with a mug of steaming tea in her hand. She watched the cat before her idly, her eyes running over her swaying tail, her bandaged middle and her pointed ears.

"You know," she told the cat, who stopped eating to watch her, intrigued, "I really don't know what I'm going to do with that boy. Always insisting that he be out there, saving the day for everyone he can." Why did people keep saying that? _Must be the Saiyaman thing. _"He just doesn't stop, you know? I'd blame Piccolo, but Gohan loves that green freak so much… oh I don't know. Bloody saiyans." She sighed and gazed contemplatively out the window.

Videl stared at the woman, all thoughts of breakfast gone from her mind. Saiyans. She said saiyans. That alien word again. What did it mean? And what was that Piccolo remark about? Was he the saiyan? Or… was it Gohan?

Before Videl could ponder this matter further, the door behind Chi-chi burst open with a slight bang, making the pair of them jump.

"Hey mom!" Goten bounded into the room in a happy bundle of wild hair and wide smiles. Yesterday's orange gi had been replaced with a blue and purple ensemble that made him seem even younger than he actually was. He halted beside his mother, gazing up at her with wide eyes. "Mom… I'm hungry."

Chi-chi laughed good-naturedly.

"It seems that everyone wants the same thing today."

"Huh?"

"Never mind dear. But I'm afraid we've not got much in the way of food. You and Gohan ate up the last of the groceries at breakfast."

Videl watched as Goten's face dropped upon hearing his wish denied. The sadness shining from him made Videl's own pointed ears droop miserably. Chi-chi looked from her youngest son to the cat on the floor. She felt horrible letting Goten down, even if it was something beyond her control. She gave a sigh and stood up.

"Oh, fine then." Goten's face lit up in hope. "If you're going to look at me like that, I guess we'll just have to go to the store and get you something."

"Yay!" Goten jumped in the air in conquest, leaping over and picking up Videl from the floor, before spinning her around in a victorious dance about the room. "Goten gets to go to the food store! Goten gets to go to the food store!" He sang, ignoring Videl's cries of protest.

Chi-chi sweat dropped. Ah, _that's _why she hated going to the store with Goten. The last visit she had attempted to shop with him, he had gotten lost and, when she found him half an hour later, she found that he had skipped right into an elderly lady's trolley, sending it, and it's contents, flying. The lady had, of course, given the 'adorable child' a bar of candy and sat outside with him on a bench, where they fed pigeons together until Chi-chi found them. In the end, the harassed mother had returned home (after apologising profusely to the older woman) with a banging headache, six bags of groceries and a child on a sugar high. It had all been very stressful and she was pretty sure she could never go back in that store again.

She watched Goten dance about happily, struggling with her instincts as a mother not to leave her son on his own, her instinct as a human being not to let him go hungry, and her instincts of self-preservation of not wanting to go through that awful ordeal ever again.

In the end, self-preservation won.

"You know what, Goten? Maybe mummy will go to the store by herself today. You can stay here and play with kitty until I get back, alright?" Goten blinked at her for a moment, before…

"Yay! Goten gets to play! Goten gets to play!"

Heaving a sigh of relief and ignoring the cat's look of panic, Chi-chi gave Goten a firm list of guidelines (NO going away from Mt. Paouz. NO using the stove. Etc.) and headed out the door towards the nearest town.

* * *

"… It wasn't until three hundred years later that the sieges upon the county finally ceased. Of course, by this time…"

Gohan let out an impatient puff of air, his eyes set upon the window beside him. Normally, tales of federal Japan could interest him in at least someway, but today his mind simply wasn't up to focusing on the history lesson going on around him. Instead, he had taken to staring intently at the sky, his hand clenching in and out of a fist periodically as he mentally plotted his offensive upon the research centre he would be visiting later in the afternoon.

"You know, it's a shame you didn't bring your cat today, Gohan. She certainly livened things up around here." He whisked his head around at the sound of the hushed voice. Beside him, Erasa was holding up a textbook up in front of her and smiling at him sociably.

He gave her an absentminded half smile back. It was true, the small cat had indeed made the previous day far more interesting and, truth be told, Gohan rather missed her silent presence beside him.

"Yes. I offered, but she didn't want to come today," he told her in a hushed whisper, before turning his attention back to the window.

Erasa blinked at the boy next to her with wide-eyed confusion. "You… offered?"

* * *

"Hurry up, kitty!" Goten called over his shoulder as he leaped happily over another stray rock.

"Meeeow!" Videl cried back indignantly, barrelling clumsily through the long grass after him. _Easy for you to say!_ _Slow down, dammit!_

"Come on!" The young Son boy laughed giddily as he crested the hill. "We're nearly there now!"

Goten halted and grinned at the sight before him. Looking back, he watched Videl hurry to drag her clumsy, tired legs to the top of the hill beside him, her breathing coming in quick, lung-filling gasps.

"There you see!" Goten waved a happy finger at her. "That wasn't so bad was it? Heh heh. You're so out of shape, kitty!" Videl glared half-heartedly at him for this remark. _Bloody hyperactive kid. _In reply, Goten simply smiled at her some more before turning back to the scene before him.

Following his gaze, Videl's anger melted away into wonderment. Despite having lived with Gohan for a good three days now, Videl had seen nothing of the surrounding countryside beyond that of the yard. But now the most amazing scenery stretched before her. A sparkling rivulet danced through the hills, catching the light and making the grass about it glimmer vibrantly. Trees littered the fields sporadically and wild flowers bloomed at their bases and about the water's embankments. Behind it all, sat a towering cliff face that loomed over the pair protectively, melting into the blue/white sky.

Videl could quite happily have stared at the display of nature all day, but Goten had grown up surrounded by the wild beauty and had no reason to simply stare at it any longer. After all, there were _far_ more interesting things to be doing!

"Come on, kitty." Videl squeaked as she was hauled off the ground and into Goten's arms. "We have to hurry. Gohan's friend is waiting to meet you!"

Videl frowned as Goten took off at a run down the hill. Gohan's friend. Since leaving the house, Goten had said nothing other than that they were going to meet 'Gohan's friend' and had refused to reveal any further information. It was all very secretive and suspicious and tiring. Really, he made her run the whole way!

Now, Goten laughed giddily as he leaped skilfully over the water and darted around trees as he closed in on the cliff face. Finally, when the rock's shadow engulfed them and the stone was all they could see, he halted his run.

Videl cocked her head curiously. This was where they were to meet Gohan's friend?

"Hey, Icaruuuuus!" Goten cried at the cliff, making Videl jump. What the hell was that kid up to! She turned her head to glare at him but was stopped by a sound before her. The noise was somewhere between a mew and a growl, giving it a soft rumbling effect that Videl could feel throbbing at the back of her throat.

Slowly, she twisted her head back around, only to see a purple beast floating above the ground a small ways in front of them, the tiny wings on it's back beating animatedly. Videl eyes widened. _What the heck is that!_

"Hiya, Icarus!" Goten chirped at the creature, before turning back to Videl. "Kitty, this is Gohan's good friend, Icarus. They've been best buds since he was really small. Say hi, Icarus!"

Videl watched in amazement as the… creature touched down on the ground, gave another growling purr and rewarded the pair with a brilliant grin.

"Hi hi!" Videl nearly fell from Goten's arms. _H-he can talk too!

* * *

_

AN: I know, there's not very much content in this chapter, but for some reason it was a real struggle to get motivated this time round. I figured I'd be better putting at least something up for you all to read, rather than making you wait however long it took me to write everything I had intended upon putting in. Lucky for you guys however, my summer vacation starts at the end of the week so, with no school to contend with, I'll be having lots of all night-ers and plenty of time to write. I'm going to try to finish of Cloud Kisses in this time, as well as keeping up with the demand for this story. Yay!

Once again, constructive comments are greatly appreciated, along with anything else you are kind enough to throw my way. Thank you all for your reviews, and for those who don't review: I hope you enjoy my story anyway and it would be nice to hear from you!


	9. Chapter 9

AN: AIIIIIIIIIIIIEE! 200 REVIEWS! I AM THE HAPPIEST GIRL IN CYBER SPACE! XD

Alright, now that that is out of my system, we can get this show on the road. Sorry it's been so long. I was going to update before I went to the States but I never got around to it. Gomen!

**Disclaimer:** Roxanne! You don't have to but on the red light! I LOVE that song! I hold much the same enthusiasm for DBZ. But, neither belong to me (rather The Police and Akira Toriyama). This story, however, does belong to me and this makes me very happy.

**Last Time: **

Slowly, she twisted her head back around, only to see a purple beast floating above the ground a small ways in front of them, the tiny wings on it's back beating animatedly. Videl's eyes widened. _What the heck is that!_

"Hiya, Icarus!" Goten chirped at the creature, before turning back to Videl. "Kitty, this is Gohan's good friend, Icarus. They've been best buds since he was really small. Say hi, Icarus!"

Videl watched in amazement as the… creature touched down on the ground, gave another growling purr and rewarded the pair with a brilliant grin.

"Hi hi!" Videl nearly fell from Goten's arms. _H-he can talk too!_

**Chapter 9**

This wasn't right. On SO many levels this wasn't right.

Of course, she could hardly talk.

But hey! It wasn't Videl's fault that she looked like this. And if she kept finding herself in more and more bazaar situations, she could hardly be found at blame for each and every one of them. Right?

She was unlucky, she decided, as she stared at the grinning (was it really grinning?) creature before her. Cursed even. Yes, cursed. That would explain a lot.

"See, kitty?" Goten smiled down at Videl's wide eyes. "Icarus is cool. Gohan taught him lots of neat tricks, too. Like how to whistle and how to dance and… ooh!" The boy gave a happy jump. "He taught him this too. Hey, Icarus!" The creature gave another purr in reply. "Roll over!"

Videl stared at the animal as it flopped down on the ground, growled and rolled over onto its back, grinning all the way. Not sure how to react to this move, Videl just blinked at the smiling animal.

"Isn't that cool?" The boy holding her exclaimed. Videl wasn't sure if that was a rhetorical question or not, so she just stared into the creature's upside-down eyes, the wide green orbs looking back at her happily.

Suddenly, Videl was placed on the grass, the soft texture tickling her paws as she touched the earth once more.

"You can stay here for a while and play with Icarus, kitty." Goten told her, his little face bright. "I'm gonna go see if I can find any cool bugs for oniichan. Maybe that'll cheer him up!" Having said his peace, Goten grinned at Videl before darting off across the field towards a cluster of rocks to their left.

"Bye bye!" The creature chirped after him, his small front arms giving an accompanying wiggle before he focused his attention back on Videl.

The two looked at each other for a moment, green eyes hitting blue, each waiting for the other to make a move. Or at least, that's what Videl figured.

She jumped when Icarus suddenly burst into another grin, arms and legs twitching happily in the air as he gave out a purr.

"Hi hi!"

Videl stared at him, her eyes wide, as he twisted and turned and purred away.

"Oh," She sighed. "It's gonna be a long afternoon."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gohan dropped down onto the roof with a muted thump. Crouching down he moved to the edge and peered over the top of the short wall, his body now securely hidden. He watched the building across the street with a concentrated intensity. Dull concrete steps leading to an equally dull concrete building which, aside from the silvery plaque by the door, looked no different from the rest of the large two story buildings that littered the neighbourhood.

Like the last time Gohan had been here, policemen lined the steps, but now the gun men had been replaced by men in brown suits and white jackets and rolls of yellow tape circled the area.

Gohan turned around and leant against the wall, staring up at the cloud dotted skies, the colours distorted by the Saiyaman visor across his eyes.

_All I have to do now is get in._ He pondered to himself, crossing his arms over his chest. _But I doubt those men down there are gonna make it very easy for me. And the chances of me getting anything back to Bulma are pretty darn slim._ He frowned. _But I have to try. I don't have many other options at this point._

With his determination renewed, Gohan tugged at his satchel (to make sure it wouldn't slip), straightened his helmet and took a breath. This time he needed to make sure his entrance was just right.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Police Chief Longhouse sucked in a deep breath. He was stressed, to put it lightly. His super was on his back, _his_ boss was on _his_ back, Hercule was on _his_ back and no matter how much he got on his officers' backs, they couldn't produce the information everyone was getting on everyone's backs about.

And his wife wondered why he was going bald.

Longhouse had been in the service for 23 years (and counting) and he had never experienced a manhunt like this one. Every available officer, sergeant, chief and sheriff was looking for the daughter of Hercule Satan but no one could get any leads. None that _went_ anywhere in any case.

He loved Videl as much as anyone and wanted her found more than most, but this whole operation was starting to really piss him off.

And now some grunt was telling him the same thing he'd told him an hour ago.

"You sure they still don't have _anything_?" Longhouse asked the young officer before him.

"Yes sir. I'm afraid the men inside have yet to find anything conclusive."

Longhouse ran a shaking hand through his thinning hair.

"And the other groups? Any news from the outside come in yet?"

"I'm afraid-"

"Saiyaman!"

Longhouse spun around at the shout. True enough, the masked crime fighter was walking up the stairs towards him, giving a nod to the man who had announced his unprecedented arrival. The Police Chief allowed himself a private smile. _'Bout time he showed up._

"Saiyaman," Longhouse greeted. "Good to see you. I take it you're here looking for Videl too?"

"That's right sir." Saiyaman replied as he came level to Longhouse, red cape floating through the air after him.

"Quite the mystery isn't it?" Longhouse managed to force out a brittle chuckle, dismissing the officer he had been talking to with a wave of his hand. "It's like she disappeared into thin air."

He suddenly wished he hadn't spoken at all as Saiyaman's polite smile died away into an unidentifiable frown. The crime fighter's helmet hiding his true expression, scaring the man into a pit of self doubt.

"N-not that we're not trying to do everything we can to find her, o-of course." He stammered out in a desperate back-pedal. No matter how goofy the figure in front of him dressed, or how strange he may act, he had an unpredictable side that he had seen plenty of in the line of duty.

And Longhouse certainly had no intention of being the one who set the unpredictable side off.

"I understand that, sir, but I'm still worried about Miss Videl's safety and I feel it is my… duty to make sure everything is being done to assure her safe return."

"Trust me Saiyaman, I understand your concern. But like I said, everything is being done-"

"Have you made any advances?" The question was the one Longhouse had been dreading. _Advances_? How in kami's name could they make _advances_? They didn't have anything to advance from! All they knew for sure was that Videl had been injured, she wasn't flying… oh, and some hobo saw a dead cat ("Could that be her?" "Erm… no sir, I don't think so.").

"W-well, as of yet we have had no _strong_ leads, be we are confident that we will soon-"

"Then perhaps _I_ should have a look?"

"Well, I'm not sure if that's entirely wise," Longhouse scratched at his collar, which suddenly seemed very tight. "The area has been cordoned off to the public and it is under intense study that I really don't think should be disturbed-"

"I understand that, sir, but I was one of the last people to see her, and at this location too. Perhaps I could find something your men might have otherwise… missed?"

The Police Chief stared at the masked hero for a moment, before giving off a sigh of defeat. What choice did he have? He could hardly turn him away. What if he held the valuable information they were all so desperately seeking? And it wasn't as if they were getting very far _without_ his help. What was there to loose? Well ok, there was his job, but it was for the greater good, right?

"I suppose your (you're) right." Longhouse chuckled again. "I'm sure with all your power you'll be far more useful than most of the boys inside."

Saiyaman just laughed slightly before allowing Longhouse to lead him inside the building.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"… Dum dum da dum. And the cat in the middle says moo!" Goten sang to himself cheerily as he bounced homeward. He had had a great afternoon. Catching bugs, chasing critters… the incident with the fish. He hadn't found anything for Gohan, but it was a good start. Maybe they'd have to come back again tomorrow? Yeah, that'd be cool!

Between Goten's arms, swinging back and forth with his paces, was a not so happy Videl. She had spent three hours with Icarus and was not particularly pleased about the matter. As fun as it was talking to a creature that only spoke in single syllables and changed the subject to irrelevant matters every five seconds, it was probably not the most intellectual conversation she had ever had.

Had she started said conversation with any thought of gaining more information on Gohan, she would have been sadly mistaken. As it was, she had not been particularly confident to start with (the word 'impossible' sprang to mind), so she wasn't too let down with the conclusion.

And it wasn't soon enough when she saw the Son home loom back into view. Letting off a relieved puff of air, she squeezed out of Goten's grip and left to the ground, setting off at a run.

"Yay! You wanna race kitty? Ok, then!" Goten laughed, running along after the dark feline. Despite herself, Videl had to laugh at the boy, the sound coming out somewhere between a rumbling purr and a squeak in her cat voice.

The two of them raced giddily to the house, Goten easily overtaking Videl but neither really caring as they bounded along clumsily.

_Maybe…_ Videl looked at the house that was drawing closer and closer, the thin stream of smoke indicating Chi-chi's return and the promise of food. _Maybe **this** isn't so bad. It's not too bad at all… living here._

"I won! I won!" Goten cried out as his palm slapped against the side of the building. Videl chuckled between gasps for air as her paws came to a halt. _Still not too thrilled about the whole cat thing though._

_-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Gohan looked around the hallway the Police Chief was leading him down. The blank off-white walls stared back at him with silent hostility. No life, no sound, no character. The sterile feel was no different from the last time he was here, it was just that now he had the time to notice it. It was kind of creepy.

His eyes settled back on the man in front of him. It had taken some convincing to get him in, but not nearly as much as he expected. In truth, Gohan had imagined himself having to break in by force because the police wouldn't even let him in.

_I guess they must be as clueless as I am as to what's happened to Videl. They must be getting pretty desperate to get a lead if security is so low. Or perhaps The Great Saiyaman is just that trusted now… I wonder… _

"Here we are then." The chief turned to face Gohan, a smile painted shakily across his features. "I'm not sure how helpful this will be for you, Saiyaman." He warned, obviously not entirely sure what Gohan intended on doing inside the labs. "You'll have to speak to-"

"Chief! Chief!" A distorted voice interrupted the man and he gave Gohan an apologetic look before grabbing the walkie-talkie at his side.

"Go ahead." He told the black box.

"Chief, the press have arrived and they're demanding an update on the investigations. What shall I tell them?"

The chief gave a sigh, before looking up at Saiyaman.

"Don't worry, I'll be ok, you go." Gohan told him, giving him a reassuring smile.

"Right," The Chief nodded, pressing the call button again. "I'll be right there." He turned back to Gohan. "Just go on in and if anyone questions you, tell them Chief Longhouse let you in, okay? They can take any complaints up with me. Everyone else seems to these days."

Gohan watched the disgruntled Police Chief scuttle back down the corridor. "Thank you." He called after the retreating figure of Chief Longhouse, receiving a backwards wave in reply.

Turning back to the familiar sliding doors, Gohan frowned. _Whatever happened to Videl, this place has to have at least something to do with it. I just wish I had some idea of what I'm looking for._ He took in a breath and walked forwards, letting the doors slide apart.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

AN: No matter how much I write, nothing ever seems to get written. I'm not sure how to explain it… but even if lots happen NOTHING happens. Ok, that made no sense. Well, it doesn't seem to be **going** anywhere. But it IS going somewhere. AHH! I'm so confused. Well, I need to get this thing moving at a quicker pace (as many of you lurvly reviewers have already told me) and I shall try to work on this for the next chapter (though from what's been planned so far it's not looking too good).

Thank you all for being patient with me. I know I said I'd be updating a lot over the summer, but things just kinda… worked out differently, I guess. Too much of a social life and all that. Anyway, I shall be finishing Cloud Kisses off any day now and then this will be my only story I'm working on (my others seem to have all come to a grinding halt, don't know why). But don't get too excited, you know me, I'm fickle.

Oh and the lines? Yeah, I couldn't get the editing page to work right.


	10. Chapter 10

AN: It's been so long since I updated. Humblest apologies. You have all been very patient (as usual) and I thank you all. Never did finish Cloud Kisses. Sigh. Oh, and don't worry, I do know where this story is going and I have lots of plot twists planned out, so it should get a little more active from now on (as long as I stick to my plan!).

**Disclaimer: **I hear you ought to be congratulated, so I guess that's what I'll do. That song belongs to 'Saving Jane' and Dragonball Z belongs to Akira Toriyama. Story's mine though.

**Last Time: **

Turning back to the familiar sliding doors, Gohan frowned. _Whatever happened to Videl, this place has to have at least something to do with it. I just wish I had some idea of what I'm looking for._ He took in a breath and walked forwards, letting the doors slide apart.

**Chapter 10**

Gohan looked around the room. Men swathed in white scuttled about, forming in clumps around the room and taking notes on silver clipboards. There was little difference between one man and another; each wore the same white suit over their clothes, the same mask over their mouths, the same gloves on their hands.

"Hey, you!" One of the white men frog-marched over to Gohan, a frown barely visible beneath the cap over his head. "You can't come in here!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, but Chief-"

"I don't care what your sob story is, you ain't coming in! This is a secure area and highly important evidence is being held here. You can't just waltz in here, contaminating the place with-"

"Ah, give him a break, Tim." Another man strolled over to them, clip board clutched under one arm. "I'm betting you owe more than your share to this guy, right Great Saiyaman?" His eyes creased with a concealed smile.

"Ahh, yeah." Gohan nodded, still thrown by "Tim's" outburst. "Erm, Chief Longhouse said it'd be OK for me to come in…"

"Well, there you go then! If Longhouse said it's ok, then who are we to argue?"

Tim bristled. "Longhouse or no Longhouse, he can't just come in here and-"

"Now, now, Timothy dearest. Don't get so testy. If you've got a problem, you can take it up with the chief." Gohan watched Tim glare at the smiling man in white. "Now, Saiyaman, follow me and I'll give you the old grand tour." He winked giddily at Gohan and grabbed his arm, tugging him along after him.

"Oh, yes, erm, thank you…" Gohan mumbled as he was wrenched away from the door and into the room. He cast one last look at Tim, then quickly turned back after the scathing look he received. "Erm, are you sure it's alright for me to be here? I mean, that guy seemed pretty-"

"Ahh, don't worry about him." The white man smiled back at him, letting go of his hand. "He's just moody because… well, he's just moody. The freshmen are always like that: think they know best 'cause they're the new blood…" His eyes glazed over.

Gohan glanced around, wondering why no one else seemed to think it strange that this odd man was just standing in the middle of the room staring into space.

"E-excuse me?" Gohan tapped the man's shoulder. He jumped at the contact and whirled round, eyes wide and blinking.

"Huh?" He stared at Gohan. And stared. Stare. Blink. Stare. The hair on the back of Gohan's neck stood on end.

"Erm… you were going-"

"Oh yes! Yes!" The man snapped back with a grin. "Well, have a good look round. Maybe you'll be a little more successful than the rest of us. Good luck, Great Saiyaman!" He waved and scurried away, head buried in the chart from beneath his arm.

Gohan blinked behind his visor, his mind giving a confused splutter-chug. His head looked to and fro to see, once again, if he was the only person who was seeing this man.

_Glass shattered against her skin as she flew across the counter top, breaking beakers and test tubes as her body went careening over the cold metal surface._

His eyes fixed on the counter that shone back at him in mock innocence. _It's still so clear. And it… it still makes me so… mad._

He looked at the surface he was now standing over. Someone had cleaned it, leaving behind the stench of disinfectant and the cold gleam of metal where once there was blood and glass and strange fluids.

_Could it really have been something in here that made Videl disappear? But… I don't understand. How could she… how could her _ki _just disappear like that? And from something in here?_

Gohan bent down on his hunches and rested his head on the corner of the table, listening to the harsh click of his helmet hitting the edge. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath.

_I can't even smell her here anymore. Perhaps this isn't where I can find her after all._

"Saiyaman?" Gohan looked up. A new man stood over him now, without a white suit and wearing a lab coat instead. Gohan stood up.

"Yes?"

"I'm not sure how much this might help, but I can tell you what things we were working on here, before the attack. You know, just in case."

"That would be a great help." Gohan smiled. "Thank you."

"Oh it's no problem. Well, if you'll come over here you can see…"

* * *

Videl felt her eyelids droop again. She blinked heavily and tried to focus on the photograph opposite her. In it stood a man and a woman with a baby in her arms. The couple were young and smiling and the infant wore a bright green hat with an orange ball resting on top. _I wonder if that's Gohan? I guess the woman does look a lot like Gohan's mother._

Videl's eyelids drooped again and her left ear flicked. Where was Gohan anyway? She had been lying on the back of the sofa for what felt like hours, the board hidden under the soft material digging into her side in a way that was supposed to be keeping her awake but was, rather, making her sleepier.

When her eyelids drooped again, she let them. The photograph grew into a blur and she was plunged into the sweet relief of darkness…

Only to be tugged back out of it by the sharp closing of the front door. _Finally!_

Videl persuaded her body into a standing position on the back of the sofa and looked expectantly to the door frame, smile at the ready.

Muffled voices. _Gohan talking to his mom in the kitchen._ A higher voice. _His mom's mad._ A nervous laugh. _Gohan's rubbing the back of his head and trying to get out of the mess he's got himself into._ A sequence of thuds. _Gohan's going upstairs._

Her smile dropped. _Upstairs? Oh hell no! I did not sit on my butt for kami knows how long for that idiot to ditch me now!_

Bouncing down onto the carpet, Videl headed out the door and pounced up the staircase, tail shadowing after her.

"Hey! Son boy!" She mewed out from the open doorway. Gohan turned his head.

"Hey, Neko." He smiled, taking a bundle of papers from his bag. "Good day?"

Curious, Videl stalked across the room and bounded up onto the bed, sitting down beside the faded yellow satchel. She tilted her head to Gohan in question.

"Ah, yeah. The labs gave me a goody bag." He set another paper bundle down in front of Videl. "And I… borrowed some things." Videl's blue eyes shone back at her from the liquid silver in the test tube in Gohan's hand. "Three some-things actually, but I'll return them as soon as Bulma's done with them."

Gohan nodded to himself, then placed the test tube and the papers back in his bag, taking them over to his desk.

"But I still don't have a clue if any of this stuff has anything to do with Videl." He sighed and flopped down onto the bed, making the mattress bounce and making Videl almost tumble backwards. She glared at Gohan. Then stopped.

Gohan was staring up at the ceiling, dark eyes unreadable. His legs fell off the bed and one arm rested on his forehead at the wrist.

_He looks so troubled. I don't understand. Why is he so worried about me?_

She stood up and drifted over to stand next to him. Something prickled behind her eyes.

_Please. Please stop._

Videl's vision began to blur.

_Don't worry about me anymore._

She blinked back tears.

_I don't deserve it._

Gohan opened his eyes at the rough sensation that swept his cheek.

"Neko?"

The cat pulled back, eyes glimmering sadly back at him. And, just for a moment, he could almost see someone else behind those eyes. A girl with darkest hair and lightest skin and eyes of brightest blue.

Then the cat jumped over him and disappeared through the door.

Gohan sat up, staring after the feline. His hand brushed against the spot where her lick remained frozen.

"W-what?"

* * *

Videl swept a paw over the damp fur on her face. _What was that?_ She looked back up the stairs. Her heart was thundering again and waves of heat flushed her skin. _What **was **that?_

"Mom? Is Gohan in love?"

Videl's head spun back around. _Goten?_ She crept forward and peered through the kitchen door. Inside, Chi-chi stood over the sink, washing the dishes from the dinner Gohan had missed. By her side, Goten was running a towel over a damp plate.

Chi-chi paused to look at her youngest son.

"Why do you say that, dear?"

"Well, Trunks said that Gohan's looking for Videl because he's in love with her." He looked up at his mother. "So, is he?"

Chi-chi set down the bowl she was cleaning and stared out the window. Videl felt the pounding in her chest quicken. _In love? With me? _

"I'm not sure. I suppose he could be." The woman's voice was distant. "But… if he is… I'm not sure even he knows it yet."

"Oh, I see. But, if he is… does that mean Videl will get to be my big sister?"

There was silent for a moment and Videl held her breath. _Love… Gohan in love… with me?_

Chi-chi whirled around, cheeks flushed, hands over her heart. "Oh, that _would _be nice wouldn't it?" She giggled girlishly.

Videl backed away from the kitchen, leaving Chi-chi with her fantasies, Goten with his confusion and herself with a stomach that wouldn't sit still.

* * *

Videl nudged the door open tentatively. She had hidden out on the sofa for almost an hour after the incident with Gohan before forcing herself to realise that, as far as Gohan was concerned, she was nothing more than a stray cat. So really, what was she hiding from?

She gave a sigh of relief at finding the room empty. She looked back down the corridor, but couldn't see any sign. _The outside bath maybe?_

Shaking her unease, Videl slipped into the bedroom and stood in the centre. Now what? She turned her head and was met with her reflection in the mirror across the room. Black fur, blue eyes, white wrap. Her tail flicked. _Am I really getting used to this now? It doesn't feel quite as strange as it used to. It's only been a few days but…_

From the corner of her eye Videl could just make out Gohan's desk, the flap of his bag falling over the edge. She padded towards it, looking up at the fabric that taunted her.

She glanced at the silent door, then pounced up onto the wood surface of the desk. Now, the school bag lay open before her, it's contents spilling out towards her.

Walking towards it, Videl pawed at the bag, bringing three glass test tubes rolling towards her. She quickly placed her paw on the first to stop it from rolling off the desk. Leaning towards them she stared at their insides: one silver, one blue and one clear like water. The fluids crashed about in their confines, lashing out at the glass and the plastic bung that held them captive.

Videl leaned nearer, then cringed back. _Ugh. What's that smell?_ The scent that came from the test tubes itched at the back of her nose, making her want to sneeze. _I don't remember anything in the labs smelling like that. Not that strong anyway. Mind you, I guess my sense of smell probably improved since then._

Taking her paw off the test tube, she back away down the table, until her paw hit something hard. Videl froze and looked backwards. Under her paw lay Gohan's watch. _That's what makes Gohan change into The Great Saiyaman, right?_ Videl tried to pick her hind leg up off the watch, but lost her balance. Her leg fell back heavily and she felt something retract under the pad on her foot.

"W-what the-?!" A 'Pom!' sound filled her ears and suddenly Videl couldn't see, surrounded by the fog of a capsule explosion. Then something heavy hit her head, plunging her into darkness and something was wrapping itself round her legs in a tangle of material and she was stumbling. Then, the table wasn't there anymore and Videl crashed to the floor.

"Ow! Hey, what the hell! Let me out! Help!" Videl yowled, her limbs scrabbling about in a flurry of claws and fur and material. "Heeelp!"

Suddenly, the cloth around her legs was lifted, and light hit Videl's eyes. She blinked back spots and looked up. Above her, Gohan was holding the green and black of his Saiyaman costume in his arms and choking back laughter behind a wide smile.

"You like?" He laughed and Videl blinked. "How did you manage to get yourself into there?" Videl huffed in embarrassment and tried to wiggle out of her upside down position inside the orange helmet.

"Oh, shut up." She mewed. Gohan just laughed.

"Come on." He bent down and pulled Videl to his chest. Her eyes fluttered at the warmth he gave off and the sweet smell of soap and grass. "Let's go to bed."

* * *

AN: I owe much of the plot for the next few chapters to the purchase of 'Varjak Paw' and 'The Outlaw Varjak Paw' by SF Said. I saw the first book in the bookstore in my local mall (I like to be American-ised) and just couldn't leave without it. It's a kid's book but it's written from a cat's point of view. So I thought to myself "Wow! That'll be useful for Videl Neko!" and you know what? It really was! The books are written so brilliantly and the illustrations are beautiful (in the scratchy way that they are). So, if you're enjoying V.N beyond the whole DBZ Videl/Gohan thing, I highly recommend it. (It's also the perfect gift for that kid brother of yours!) 


	11. Chapter 11

AN: Ahh. I have officially completed my first, full-length fic. I'm so proud! Here's hoping I can spend more time updating this story than worrying that I haven't written in my other one.

**Disclaimer: **You're feeling guilty and I'm well aware, but you don't look afraid and baby I'm not scared. That Song (Follow Me) is property of Uncle Kracker. The characters used in this fic and the show they're from (Dragonball Z) is property of Akira Toriyama.

**Last Time: **

"You like?" He laughed and Videl blinked. "How did you manage to get yourself into there?" Videl huffed in embarrassment and tried to wiggle out of her upside down position inside the orange helmet.

"Oh, shut up." She mewed. Gohan just laughed.

"Come on." He bent down and pulled Videl to his chest. Her eyes fluttered at the warmth he gave off and the sweet smell of soap and grass. "Let's go to bed."

**Chapter 11**

Videl yawned. Blinking sleep from her eyes, she looked down at her front paws, stretched out on the bed in front of her. The sun was up and was spilling in through the open curtains into Gohan's room.

Videl frowned. _Where _is_ Gohan?_

True enough, the bed was empty, its covers thrown back where its owner had pushed them away in his rush to get up.

_I'm not that deep a sleeper. If Gohan got up it should have woken me up too._ Pulling herself to her feet, she sniffed the air curiously. _No food, so Mrs Son can't be up yet. And I can't hear the shower running. Hmm, I wonder what Gohan _does_ first thing on a Saturday morning._

Videl sighed. _Now what?_

Suddenly her ears pricked up, her head twisting towards the window as she heard muffled voices coming in from outside.

Leaping from the bed, she hurried across the room and pounced up onto the window ledge. The window had already been unlocked and it only took a slight nudge on Videl's part to get it to open all the way. Placing her front paws on the edge of the window, she leaned out into the early morning air.

Below, Goten stood on the grass in his brightly coloured gi, arms stretched over his head.

"Come on, Gohan!" He called towards the front door. Gohan called something back, but the sound was muted by the walls of the small house.

Whatever Gohan had said made Goten roll his eyes, before racing to the door and pulling his older brother out by the arm. Videl's face lifted in a smile.

"Gohan!" She called down to him. "Meow! Meow!"

But Gohan couldn't hear her. He was saying something to Goten, laughing and shaking his brother's arm off.

"Meow! Meow!"

Suddenly, Gohan became quite serious. He stopped laughing and his hands became fists. He said something and Goten nodded, taken in by Gohan's change in attitude.

"Gohan! Gohan I'm up here! Meow!" Videl kept calling to him happily, trying to get his attention.

Then she stopped. Gohan's hands raised up to his chest as he took a deep breath.

"Go… han?"

White fire was flowing up around him, like when he was flying, but fiercer, like it was trying to burn him. Videl's ears drooped. It was almost… frightening. But it kept getting stronger and faster, until it was all around his body, until it hurt to look at and Videl had to close her eyes.

When the light died down, she opened her eyes.

It was like someone had turned off the sound. Because she couldn't hear anything at all. All she could do was see.

Because right there - in the middle of the Son's garden - was the Gold Fighter. Just like everyone described him. Bright gold hair and green eyes.

"G-Gohan? It was you?" But he left. Running away from the house with his younger sibling. Videl watched him go, wide eyes staring after his retreating form until she couldn't see him any more.

She sat down heavily on the window ledge. _I should have known. I should have known he had more than Saiyaman to hide. But I… I don't understand. How? People can't just… transform. Right? It's not possible. It's like… I don't know._

Videl took in a shaky breath. _Why am I so surprised? Gohan's full of surprises. You said so yourself. Still, saying something and actually seeing it in action are two very different things._

Shaking her head roughly, she turned around and jumped off the window. _Pull yourself together Videl. So what's the problem? All this really means is that Gohan's got something to answer for when you get back to normal._

Videl frowned mournfully as she set off down the stairs. _When ever that'll be._

The feline padded silently into the living room. No sounds could be heard anywhere inside the house, so Videl figured Chi-chi really was still in bed. She looked up at the clock on the mantle piece. It wasn't even 7 o'clock yet.

Her heart stopped beating.

Why hadn't she seen that picture before?

That one hung up on the wall by the window.

Because that was exactly what it was like.

That was exactly what Gohan had reminded her of just then.

Because there, on the wall by the window, was the boy from the Cell Games.

And his father.

And Mrs Son.

* * *

Videl squinted against the onslaught of wind that whistled through her fur. She moved closer to Goten's body. It was surprisingly cold up above the clouds.

Nimbus was carrying them at a speedy pace, soaring alongside Gohan in the mid-morning skies.

Videl looked over at the teenager, clad in his Saiyaman outfit, his long red cape fluttering behind him, school bag at his hip. Inside were the test tubes and papers he had collected from the labs in Satan City the day before.

She watched his face, only his mouth visible beneath the thick metal helmet.

_Gohan. He was the boy at the Cell Games. He **fought** Cell. And he was just a kid._

No matter how many times she told herself that, Videl just couldn't seem to get her head around the idea. How could Gohan, sweet naive Gohan, have fought the greatest super power the world had ever seen?

_But he did._

Videl's tail flicked. Her father had always told her that the things the people from the Cell Games did was all a trick. An illusion. But…Gohan really _could_ fly. There was no illusion behind that.

Did that mean all those balls of light were real too?_ Dammit, if I could just look at the tapes again. Maybe I could see something-_

Videl looked down at the ground. The huge buildings of Capsule Corporation were already lurking below them, drawing ever closer as the three descended.

Gohan's feet touched the ground and the Nimbus cloud stopped beside him, hovering patiently. Videl jumped out of Goten's lap onto the ground next to Gohan's feet, giving her ruffled fur a shake once she was safely back on four feet.

Goten hopped off the cloud as well, giving it a cheerful goodbye and racing towards the building.

"Oh, Gohan?" The boy ground to a halt, looking back at his brother. "You _are_ going to come and play with me and Trunks today, aren't you?"

"Sure, Goten. I just need to go see Bulma and then I'll come and play for a little while. But then I need to go and see if the police have anything more on Videl, all right?"

Goten seemed to think about this for a while. "Ok, Gohan. But you have to play for more than a _little while _because you haven't played for AGES."

Gohan just laughed. "Ok, Goten. I promise not to play for too short a time."

Goten grinned at his brother, then raced off into the building. Videl looked up at Gohan, who sighed happily and pressed the button on his watch, bringing back his street clothes. Then he smiled down at Videl.

"Well, lets go then, Neko. If we don't hurry, who _knows_ what Goten might do to me."

Videl watched as Gohan walked after his younger brother. Under her fur, she blushed.

* * *

Gohan and Videl walked through the doors to the private laboratories at Capsule Corp. The usual array of mechanical contractions, blueprints and silver metals greeted them and a gentle bleeping sound drifted through the room.

Videl followed Gohan through the strange array, walking behind the tall boy as he wound his way through the mess of mechanical parts.

"Hey, Bulma. Good morning." He called, spotting the heiress from her position behind a computer screen in the back of the large room. She looked up and smiled warmly.

"Hi, Gohan."

"What are you looking at?" Gohan asked, coming to stand behind her and looking over her shoulder.

"Actually, I was just looking for new reports on your friend, Videl. I must say you peaked my interest the other day. It really is like she just evaporated."

"Well, then, I've got a present for you." Gohan said, pulling his bag off his shoulder and placing it on the desk next to Bulma's keyboard.

"Really, what is it?" Bulma asked curiously, opening up the satchel and pulling out some of the papers, looking down at the small black print.

"I went to the research centre where I last saw Videl, like you said, and they gave me a few things. Some stuff about the projects they've been working on and any chemicals they've been using… and I got you some samples to take a look at as well. Just… don't tell them it was me who took them."

"Gohan, I must say, I am surprised." She smirked up at him. "Stealing? You? You must really like this Satan girl."

Gohan laughed nervously, a blush spreading across his cheeks. "Really, Bulma! It's not like that!"

Videl stared at Gohan as he scratched subconsciously at his neck, which had now turned a fetching shade of pink. _Could what Goten have said last night been true? Does Gohan…_Videl felt her own skin heat up, a strange squeezing feeling tugging at her chest.

Bulma smiled victoriously, her eyes dancing happily. "Whatever you say, Gohan. Anyway," She got up from her seat, taking Gohan's bag with her and putting the papers back inside. "I'll take a look at this for you. Who knows, it might actually get us somewhere."

"Thanks, Bulma. That's a big help." Gohan told her, the last strains of pink still lingering about his features.

"No problem, kid. It's what I'm here for." Bulma smiled, hitching the bag onto her own shoulder.

"Oh, is it alright if I leave you to it? I promised Goten I'd play with him and Trunks while I was here."

"Please do! Trunks has been on at me for days about getting 'Goten's big brother' to play with him. It'll be good to have him quiet again." Bulma laughed, shooing Gohan out of the room, Videl hot at his heels.

So, thanking Bulma again and bidding her farewell, the pair headed to Trunks' bedroom.

_Gohan is Saiyaman. _Videl pondered to herself. _And he's the Gold Fighter. And he was the boy at the Cell Games. And he might…he might be in love…No, don't be stupid. That's nothing but the thoughts of a 7 year old boy and the gossip of a middle aged housewife. Just because you're a cat doesn't mean you have to take these things so seriously. You should know better. Besides, there are far bigger things to worry about right now-_

"Human-cat." Videl's feet froze on the carpet, her head flying around at the sound of another cat talking to her.

"It's you." Videl mewed back, spotting Dr Brief's little black feline looking at her with its big eyes from down a separate hallway leading off from where she stood.

"Human-cat. Follow me." He said, before bounding off down the corridor. Videl looked up only to see Gohan walking away from her, having not noticed the other feline's presence.

After a moment of indecision, Videl raced after the small black cat.

Gohan looked behind him. "Neko?" The empty corridor stared back at him. "Where did she go?"

* * *

"Hey! Hey, wait up!" Videl called down the corridor, the little black cat ahead of her not paying any heed as he kept up his fast pace. Videl tried a different approach.

"Where are we going?!" The other cat didn't say anything, but he slowed down enough so that Videl was able to come level to him. "Well, where are we going?" She asked again, this time to the cats face.

"To show you something." Was all the other animal said in his usual slow, high voice.

"Show me what?"

"Something."

Videl frowned at him. _Can't this thing ever give me a straight answer?_

The two cats reached a set of steps, which the Briefs cat hopped down with well practised agility. Videl stopped for a moment, then, not wanting to loose the cat, bounded after him with all the grace she could manage with her limited experience.

At the bottom, the other cat had stopped to wait for her and when she finished her decent, ran off again, leaving Videl to chase at his heels.

"What did you mean the other day? When you said Gohan had secrets?" Videl asked, calling at the cat between gulps of oxygen.

Again, the cat didn't speak.

"Did you mean that Gohan was at the Cell Games? That he fought Cell?" She tried. But still the cat wouldn't answer. Remembering something, Videl shouted at the cat. "Is Gohan a Saiyan?"

Nothing.

Videl growled impatiently, dragging in air as she ran through the continuing labyrinth of the Capsule Corporation.

_Wait._ Something hit Videl. _Saiyan? Like… Saiyaman?_

"He must be!" She said aloud. "Gohan must be a Saiyan! Is that why he can do all those things? Because he's a Saiyan?"

"I suppose so."

_So he IS a Saiyan! At last, a straight answer! _

"But what's a Saiyan?"

Suddenly the two cats were outside, Videl squeezing out of a barely open door after her companion.

"What are we doing out here?" She asked him, as he walked off across the grass of CC's back lawn. Breathing in the fresh air heavily, she walked after him, her legs a little unsteady after the endless run through the large building.

"I must show you something." He mewed by way of explanation, his wide eyes set dead ahead.

Confused, Videl continued to follow the small feline across the neatly cut grass, until they reached the tall fence that ran around the outside of the grounds.

Instead of stopping, the small cat slipped through the bars of the fence and walked out into the street. Videl, unsure for a moment, slipped uncertainly through the bars after him.

"Where are we going?" Videl asked again, as she followed the other cat quickly across the road, thankfully clear of cars. The cat wouldn't reply, but he stopped as he hit the sidewalk.

Videl came up next to him, looking at him expectantly. When he didn't move, she followed his line of vision into the small area between two buildings. For a while neither of them said anything, both watching something, though Videl wasn't sure what.

"Look, there's nothing-" Videl stopped mid-sentence. Now she saw it. It was quick, but from out of the darkened spot they had been watching, sprung a cat, it's mottled brown fur flashing in the afternoon sun.

And, around it's front leg, was a ring of gold.

"T-that's my hair piece." Videl muttered in a daze, before springing into action. "Hey! That's mine!" She yelled after the cat, then ran down the street, chasing after the retreating figure.

* * *

Inside Capsule Corp a curtain was released, allowing it to float back into place.

"What will you do now, girl?" Vegeta muttered to himself, with a smirk.

Yes. This was certainly becoming very interesting.

* * *

AN: Well, you wanted some movement. I think that's moving a little better now. I had to change a few things in my plan for this chapter, but I'm glad I did. I'll need to change some of my plans for the next few chapters now but that's simple enough.

Oh and welcome to the New Year!


	12. Chapter 12

AN: This is driving me nuts. Somehow, I've managed to break the sound on my computer. And I thought it was annoying when the headphones stopped working! But, I am soothed by all the amazing reviews people are leaving for me. Some people were confused, some were pleased and one person even dreamed about me updating (Anime ADHD), which for some reason made me very happy.

**Disclaimer: **You asked me why I changed the colour of my hair. That song belongs to No Secrets and is called 'That's What Girls Do'. The anime this fan fic is based on belongs to Akira Toriyama and is called 'Dragonball Z'.

**Last Time: **"Look, there's nothing-" Videl stopped mid-sentence. Now she saw it. It was quick, but from out of the darkened spot they had been watching, sprung a cat, it's mottled brown fur flashing in the afternoon sun.

And, around it's front leg, was a ring of gold.

"T-that's my hair piece." Videl muttered in a daze, before springing into action. "Hey! That's mine!" She yelled after the cat, then ran down the street, chasing after the retreating figure.

**Chapter 12**

Eight paws thumped quietly along the sidewalk. Legs flashed in a blizzard of fur between the humans that stood above them. Humans moved out of their way, staring in wonder after the two animals.

Videl dodged out of the way of an oncoming pram, darting past the wheels and around the legs of the young mother pushing it.

_Dammit._ She narrowed her blue eyes on the tortoise shell cat, a gold band glistening as sunlight hit the feline's front leg.

Suddenly it darted past a group of kids, fleeing across the road. Determinedly, Videl rushed after it, narrowly avoiding an oncoming car, then bolted down the empty street after the cat.

Her lungs were on fire and her legs were numb from running, but she kept going, blind to anything beyond the animal she chased.

"S-stop!" She huffed out. "Wait!"

Not hearing her – or perhaps simply not paying her any heed – the cat kept running, across another road and down into an alleyway. Videl didn't stop, but instead, followed the animal through the narrow opening, the brick walls lit by the midday sun that hovered overhead.

Videl's eyes widened when, at the sight of a dead end, the other cat flew on top of a dumpster and leaped onto the high wall.

"No, wait!" She cried desperately, before her foot caught on a deserted brick which sent her flying, until her head collided with the dumpster's hard surface.

The last thing she saw before the world evaporated, was a paw coming to stand beside her head, a gold hairpiece, with a black cat sprawled in its reflection.

* * *

Gohan rubbed his eyes and then let his hand fall back down his face. How could she just be gone? The cat had been right behind him, he was sure of it.

So then, where had she gone?

For hours Gohan had searched the building, scouring every inch of Capsule Corp. and even enlisting the help of the younger demi-saiyans. She just wasn't anywhere.

Gohan opened a door and peered inside.

"Neko? Are you in there?"

Nothing.

He closed the door and sighed, walking to the next door. When it came down to it, cats really didn't have much of a chi level, so even with his training it was proving near impossible to find the feline. _I shouldn't have been so careless. I should have watched her more carefully. She's only a cat: she was bound to get lost in a place like this. She's done it once before already, so I shouldn't be surprised._

Gohan opened another door and looked around. He closed the door and jumped.

"Oh, Vegeta. Good afternoon." Gohan said politely to the saiyan who stood at the end of the corridor. Vegeta said nothing, but the corners of his mouth lifted into a natural smirk. Gohan felt a wave of unease sweep over him. Vegeta tended to have that effect on him. He knew he wasn't a bad person. It was just that he was… so unpredictable. And Vegeta always seemed to know what he was thinking. That was a little scary.

"Oh, I was wondering… have you seen a cat around? I think you've met her before. She's little and black with-"

"Don't bother brat."

Gohan stopped in surprise.

"P-pardon?"

"You heard me brat, or are you deaf as well as stupid?" His eyes danced in their dark amusement. Gohan's head reeled.

"I'm sorry Vegeta… I don't understand."

The prince stared at him in silence, looking straight into his eyes as if he were trying to burn into his mind.

"There is no reason to look for the creature. It left a long time ago."

"What?" Gohan frowned.

"Get a grip, brat." Vegeta stopped smirking and walked down the corridor towards Gohan. "The ball of fur went back outside on its own. But why should you care?" With his eyes focusing straight ahead, Vegeta brushed past Gohan. "After all, she was just a dirty little animal… right?" And he disappeared around a corner.

Gohan stared at the floor. Neko… had left?

* * *

A bitter cold wind swept through the streets of West City, spurred on by the setting sun. Videl shivered as the cold air brushed through her fur, opening her blue eyes with a blink. She watched as the world came hazily back into view. Brick wall. Black bag. Dumpster.

Dreamily, she twisted her head upwards and gazed at the pink clouds floating through the orange-blue sky.

How pretty… 

"You're awake? Figures you wouldn't be dead."

Videl was all ears at the feline voice. She rushed to her feet and scanned the opposite wall, drawing her eyes over the silvery fire escape that hugged the brickwork. Had that been there before?

"Who's there?" She called out, frustrated that she couldn't place the voice.

"Kinda mouthy," This time, a young cat stepped forward, mottled brown fur gleaming in the evening light, his chest a brilliant shade of white. He sneered down at her from the metal platform, green eyes gleaming with feline brilliance. "For a pet."

Videl stared at him for a moment, not sure what to say to the cocky animal.

"You're not the cat I was following." Videl said with a frown. The cat scoffed at her.

"You don't say. You're so stupid." Videl's frown deepened. Who was this guy to talk to her like that?

"Who are you? Where's the cat from before?" She demanded, her patience burnt away by the splitting pain in her head from where she crash-landed and the snotty cat looking down at her.

"I'm not sure," The cat leapt down from the fire escape in one gallant leap, padding up so he was nose to nose with Videl "That that's any of your business."

Videl locked her eyes with his, a hiss rippling in the back of her throat. How could anyone be so… _irritating_? Videl had a good mind to rip that conceited little mouth right out of his head.

"Listen you nasty little ally scum, no one talks to me like-"

"Ugh!" He cut her off, wrinkling his nose and running his icy gaze over Videl. "You stink like a human. How disgusting." Videl's eyes widened and she glared at the cat as he turned his back on her, tail high in the air as he walked away from her.

"Who do you think you are?! You can't talk to me-" He whirled around, hackles raised.

"Look, girl! I can talk to you however I damn well-"

"Taka! Stop that. Now!" Videl looked up to see the same cat she had been chasing after, who now stood commandingly atop the same wall it disappeared over. Round its left ankle, Videl's hair band flashed in the sunlight.

"Now, Taka." The cat, female, spoke authoritatively in her odd, thick voice. Videl looked back to the other cat in front of her. He hadn't looked away from her at the arrival of the female cat and the two locked eyes for another moment - blue on green - before he looked away, glaring dejectedly at the green dumpster. _So, his name is Taka?_

"Don't mind my brother. He's just young, he doesn't know any better." The female picked up something in her mouth, then hopped elegantly down from the wall.

"Yeah," Videl kept her eyes pinned on Taka. "I understand."

"Here, you must be hungry. You took a bad knocking back there. Sorry about that." Videl looked over to see the cat drop the thing she'd been carrying on the floor. On the ground lay what was left of a bakery shop sticky bun, a few human sized bites missing from the food. The cat nudged it towards Videl with her nose. "Here, take it."

Videl looked at the bun forlornly, her stomach contracting in hunger. She hadn't eaten since breakfast, and kami only knew how long she'd been unconscious. Greedily, her head sank down and she bit heavily into the bun. The taste was broken with dirt and the bun was going stale after how ever long ago it had been since it was discarded, but Videl lapped it up none the less.

When she finished, she licked the last crumbs off her nose and looked back up to see the female cat sit down in front of her. Taka had slinked off to lie on the fire escape again, his back to Videl and his long tail hanging over the bars.

"Feeling better?" The cat asked, one ear flicking restlessly. Videl blushed. The cat's bright green gaze was disconcerting and Videl couldn't help but feel uncomfortable under it.

"Y-yes. Thank you." The cat nodded.

"That's good. What is your name?" Videl thought about this for a moment. Would it be right to say she was Neko? Gohan had been calling her by it since he found her. _Maybe that's what I should be calling myself. Maybe… maybe I'm just going to be Neko from now on. Maybe I won't get to be Videl again._

"Videl. My name's Videl." _I will change back, dammit. I will._

"Well, Videl, it is good to meet you." The cat bowed her head respectfully, her lips quirking into a strange cat-smile.

"Phft. _Videl_. That's a pet name." Taka spat Videl's name like it burned him, his mocking voice penetrating through the metal fire escape. Videl's fur bristled.

"Taka, stop that _now_." The female cat growled at him. "You cannot speak to kin that way."

"She is no kin of mine!" Taka leapt up and glared at them, his back arched angrily. "Look at her! Some human's _pet_! It's disgusting! I can't believe you would think of that thing as kin, Chika!"

"Listen here, you pompous little snot!" Videl had heard enough. She wouldn't take Taka's attitude if she was human, and she sure as hell wouldn't take it now. "You don't know jack about me! So how _dare_ you stand there and judge me?"

"Do you have no pride? That thing you have on… it's worse than those retched collars! And you call yourself a cat?!"

For a moment, Videl wondered what Taka was talking about before she felt the familiar hug of her bandage against her lungs as she breathed.

"That's enough." Though she didn't shout, Chika's voice was stern and Videl and Taka both broke their stare to look at her. "Where Videl came from or how she lives is none of your concern, Taka. I won't have you speaking to her in such a way."

Taka scrunched up his nose, clearly abashed. He looked away and sat down on the fire escape. Chika sighed.

"Again I apologise for my brother's behaviour. He is weary of strangers, that's all. Do not take his aggression too seriously."

"Yeah," Videl sat down heavily on the ground, still scowling at Taka's form. "Right." She sighed. Now what was she supposed to do? "Look, Taka. I'm sorry about-"

"DON'T… call me that. My name is Takako, got it? Only my sister can call me Taka."

Videl stared at him. What was his problem anyway?

"My, my. Still touchy as ever, huh kitten?" All three of them froze, as out of the shadows of the fire escape crept a new cat, with spiky orange fur and sneering eyes. "You talk big, for such a little ball of fur."

Fear shook through Takako, making his fur shiver. In front of the orange cat, he really did look like a scared little kitten. He hunched up, then leapt from the fire escape down to the ground, running to stand behind Chika.

"Would you look at him run? How _cute_." Another cat appeared behind the first, then another and another. They were everywhere: on the fire escape, on the dumpster, on the wall. They came in from the street and appeared on the top of the surrounding buildings. They were everywhere Videl looked. She moved closer to Chika.

"You are Minoru's cats, correct?"

"Heh, that's right." The orange cat sneered.

"What are you doing here? This isn't your land. You have no right to be in this part of the city."

"That is where you are mistaken, _Chika_. It is you who has no right to be here." Videl's whole body flushed cold as the rough voice swept through the ally. It was a horrible sound, like a man being choked. She felt Chika stiffen beside her.

"Why is that, Minoru?" Her voice was steady and calm, but Videl felt her draw closer to her and Takako protectively.

A yowling-laugh rang through the darkening ally and the cats that surrounded them smirked eerily. They pushed each other out of the way, a parting in the void of fur, and from the main street strode the largest feline Videl had ever seen. He walked towards them on thick paws, with stout legs leading to a barrel chest. His whole body was covered in thick grey fur, turned blue in the late sunlight. His eyes were rich amber, shining at them from a square face. Videl's stomach contracted in fear: the creature was terrifying.

"I believe I made it clear last time we spoke, Chika. You are not welcome in my city."

"And I have kept my promise not to return." Chika's tone had changed now and Videl could hear the anger in her voice, a gentle hiss underlying each word. "Like I said, this place is not within your domain. This is open land, it is meant for all cats."

Minoru's smirk flickered, and for a moment Videl thought she could see the huge male bare his fangs at Chika, but it went as quickly as it came. "Things have changed. This is my city, Chika. Nowhere is outside of my domain any longer."

"You're wrong! Land does not belong to you!" Chika stepped forward, her voice strong and defiant as she shouted at Minoru. "The cat's of this city should be free, yet you are so selfish that you must bully them into following you! You're as bad as any human!"

THUMP

The thick swipe of Minoru's paw collided with her head, sending Chika flying into the ground.

"Sister!" Takako ran to Chika in a panic, nudging her with his head until she lifted her own off the ground to glare at Minoru. Above them, cats laughed and yowled and cheered on their leader.

"Quiet, you flea ridden scraps!" Minoru yowled up at them, an instant hush descending upon them. He turned back to Chika. "You shouldn't speak to me like that. You remember what happened last time, don't you?"

"You're pathetic, Minoru." This time, the grey cat did bare his fangs.

"Perhaps I need to teach you this lesson again." The sound of cat laughter whispered through the ally, as Minoru unsheathed a set of brilliant white claws. Takako whimpered and sank down beside his sister, who looked resiliently back at Minoru, as he loomed above her darkly. He raised one mightily paw over his head and brought it crashing down…

…but Videl was faster.

She slammed herself head first into Minoru's side, sending him sprawling across the tarmac, along with Videl herself.

Videl cringed as she felt the ground scrape her wounded side, the bandage becoming slack. Ignoring the pain, she leapt back to her feet and backed away from Minoru, her back arched and a hiss on her tongue. Around her, the cats were in an uproar.

"Did you see what she did?!"

"How dare that _thing_ attack Minoru?!"

"Stupid creature!"

"How insolent!"

"Doesn't she know who Minoru _is_?"

"I think we should teach her who's boss here!"

"She dares to challenge us?!"

Minoru growled, picking himself up, his face like thunder.

"What's the matter?" Videl taunted, looking at the enraged cat in the eye. "Loose your balance?"

"You." Minoru ground out. "Who are you that challenges me?"

"Videl, _don't_ get involved. This isn't your fight." Chika said, pulling herself up from the ground. "I don't want you to get hurt."

"Heh. Don't worry about me. I can hold my own just fine." Videl smirked, not taking her eyes away from Minoru.

Around them the cats continued to shout and yowl, and now the cats on the ground were coming closer, trying to get closer to the four cats who were the centre of attention. Videl moved closer to Chika and Takako defensively as a few claws came flying their way.

"Let us have 'um boss."

"We'll show them what happens when a cat disrespects you like that."

"Umm, I can smell their blood already."

"I thought I told you scum to back down." Minoru hissed at his cats. They stopped advancing, but they kept a cruel eye on the three. "Now," he focused again on Videl, amber eyes ablaze. "Who are you? Where did you come from?"

"Heh," Videl held her head up high. "What's it to you, ya' wind bag?" In truth, Videl was terrified of this cat. It wasn't until she hit him that she realised just how big he was. The cat was easily twice her size and hitting him felt like running against a wall. Still, she was a fighter. The _best_ fighter. Excluding her father, of course.

Minoru hissed at her.

"You are getting on my nerves, _creature_. You do not even smell like a real cat. You're just some human's pet, aren't you?" He turned his eyes to Chika. "First you come into my city, uninvited, then you start keeping the company of pets? Really Chika. I excepted more."

"Leave her alone, Minoru." Chika's voice was still, though her legs shook under her.

"No. I don't think I will." With that, he lunged heavily towards Videl. Despite his size, the cat was fast and Videl had to scramble to escape the lunge.

Minoru chased after her, driving her against the wall of cats until she had to turn to meet him. She stood her ground and hissed violently at him, bringing him to a halt. In a move she couldn't even see, he reached up one massive paw and slashed her across the cheek, making her yowl in pain. She recovered quickly and sent her own paw out to knock away the next attack. But his blows kept coming, pushing her closer to the horde of cats. Videl cried out again when she felt the first pair of claws slash across her hide, hitting her back leg. Still Minoru kept attacking, and soon she was being slashed by both sides.

_I can't!_ _I can't keep up with him! I can't keep up in this body. I can't move about enough._

Desperately, she allowed Minoru to hit her face, before retaliating with her own claws, feeling the satisfying connection of her claws with his fur. Stunned, Minoru couldn't retaliate straight away, and Videl took her chance, dodging around him. Unfortunately, the huge cat was quick to recover and he dug a set of claws into her back as she fled around him. Again, Videl yowled out in pain, and with everything she had, she bit down into the fur on Minoru's side, bringing her claws up to meet the flesh beside it. All around her, cats shouted and cried out, until it was lost in noise. She could taste blood under her fangs and she bit harder, until Minoru had to let go of her own back to shake her off.

Videl tore herself from him and stumbled away from him, turning around in the centre of the clearing. She breathed heavily, feeling her body burn from the scratches. One of Minoru's cats had scratched her bad side and she could feel the healing wound trying to rip open again.

"You will die for this, creature." Minoru hissed at her. Videl's fur fluffed out angrily.

And then, in one huge boom, everything seemed to stop.

At the explosion of noise, every cat froze and the sound died down. Videl's fur settled as she tried to figure out what the sound was. It was so familiar, but to her feline hearing, it sounded totally alien… and frightening.

BOOM!

The noise came again and everything came back to life in an eruption of panic. Cats cried out as they rushed to get away from the source of the sound. They rushed past Videl, pushing and shoving as they leapt over the wall, or scurried up the fire escape. They bashed against her and in her confusion, Videl tried to work out what they were running from.

She too could feel the desperate urge to run pulling at her from inside. That was what had made the cats run: that awful pull.

And then, all of a sudden, they were gone, the last tail disappearing over the wall. Videl looked about her wildly. Even Minoru had fled. Videl's eyes settled on Chika and Takako, who stood on the fire escape, their eyes wide as they watched a point beyond Videl.

"Look." Videl said in breathless happiness. "They all went awa-"

BOOM!

Videl flew around and saw what it was they had fled from.

That fearsome being.

A cat's nightmare.

The natural predator.

There, in the entrance to the ally, a dog stood growling at her.

* * *

AN: Well, that chapter turned out to be longer than expected. I wasn't planning on introducing any of my own characters to this story, but I've got some good plot ideas from them and I think it could make the story a little more interesting.

I gave all the cats Japanese names, because I figured "Hey, if Videl is called Neko, way not give Japanese names to the other cats too?". So, I did! Here are the meanings, each carefully chosen to fit with their personality:

Chika: Wisdom

Takako: Lofty child

Minoru: Seed (as in "the bad seed")


	13. Chapter 13

AN: Holy croutons... 300 reviews? I'm just so blown away. Thank you to everyone who reviewed me at some point or another. I really never thought I would ever get 300 reviews for _anything._ I'm so happy.

**Disclaimer: **It sucks to be broke and unemployed and turning 33. That ispart of the song "It Sucks to be Me" from the musical Avenue Q. It's pretty damn cool, but I didn't write it. Another thing I didn't write is Dragonball Z. It's not a musical, but I think it's rather nifty too.

**Last Time: **A cat's nightmare.

The natural predator.

There, in the entrance to the ally, a dog stood growling at her.

**Chapter 13**

Videl stared at the creature. What should she do? She couldn't help it, but her body was frozen. That pull she had felt to run was probably still there, but all Videl could hear or see or smell, was the dog.

Somewhere, from the back of her skull, a voice was shouting at her. The human Videl. _What are you doing? Move! Fight it! Why are you afraid? This thing isn't anything to Videl Satan! Get a grip!_

But she was afraid. She was honestly afraid of something that, in the real world, wouldn't come up to her waist.

Drip. A ball of saliva fell onto the floor. Videl watched it as it slipped away from it's jaw, through the thick fur on its muzzle, and fell to the ground with a splat. A shiver racked through her feline body.

"Videl! Videl move!" Chika hissed at her, but to Videl's ears, they sounded like they came from miles away.

Her eyes, which had been glued to the puddle of drool on the ground, shot up as the dog moved. It came forward slowly, just a single paw coming forward. Her eyes locked with his (it even smelled male). Great orbs of dark brown hidden behind tufts of black fur. Looking into her eyes, the dog froze, ears pricked up in the air. His monstrous nose twitched, smelling the air.

"Come on, pet! Don't be stupid!" said Takako. He sounded afraid, still humbled by Minoru's gang, and now the dog.

When Videl didn't move, the dog paced further towards her. He was just so big! Towering over her he seemed bigger than the buildings around them. His huge paws made the ground shake under her, or perhaps that was her own feet shaking, she couldn't tell.

He was getting closer. That voice in her head kept yelling at her. _Do something!_ Closer. _Stop being so pathetic! _Closer. _Come on, Videl!_ Closer. _You can't let this thing beat you!_

All at once, the dog was in front of her. Looming over her in one, almighty shadow. He brought his head down to her face, his huge black nose, easily the size of her whole head, scouring the air right in front of her face. Videl could smell his breath as it tore through her skin. A putrid smell that made her stomach heave.

It was that that brought her out of her stupor.

Her gums pulled back across her fangs, throwing out a hiss that made the dog pull back sharply in surprise. He froze and Videl did the same, her sharp incisors bared as the dog's surprised brown eyes stared at her.

Suddenly, the dog regained his confidence and his head came barrelling towards her. But this time, Videl was ready. Her claws flew at his face. Slash! Slash! Slash! Her sharp talons scratched his bulbous nose three times and the dog almost fell over himself in surprise.

"Now get lost!" She growled at him, arching her back, the paw she scratched him with still hovering over the ground. For a moment, she wasn't sure what the dog would do. Then, he whimpered once quietly to himself and rushed away from the ally in a mess of long legs and black fur.

Videl inhaled and blew it back out again in one huge rush of air before her violently shaking legs gave out under her, leaving her to crumble to the ground in relief.

* * *

"Why can't we go and find her, Gohan? It's not fair."

Gohan's stomach contracted guiltily at the sadness in his younger brother's voice. After that meeting with Vegeta, Gohan had found Goten and Trunks, still looking for the little black cat. He told them that Neko had gone back to live on the streets. Now they were flying home, the sky over head sinking into night.

"She didn't belong to us, Goten. It wouldn't be fair to keep her with us." He said with a sigh, his eyes focused straight ahead rather than looking at the downtrodden boy riding the golden cloud next to him.

"But isn't she still hurt? She needs us to look after her, doesn't she?"

Was he right? Was it too soon to let her leave? Gohan, ignoring his unease, turned to smile at Goten.

"Don't worry, Goten. Neko's gotten pretty strong now, so I don't think she'll need our help any more. Besides, it was her choice to leave. She wouldn't have gone if she didn't want to."

"I suppose so." Goten frowned down at nimbus. "But it's still not fair."

Gohan looked worriedly at his brother. It was true, Gohan hadn't wanted her to go, and if he could, he wouldn't have let her leave.

"_But why should you care?" _Vegeta's voice kept playing around in his head. _"After all, she was just a dirty little animal… right?" _

It was true. The cat didn't belong to him. He was only looking after her until she healed. That was the deal. And now she was better and had gone back to her old life. She had only been with him for what? Four days? So why _should_ it matter?

_But still. It feels a little… lonely without her.

* * *

_

"V-Videl?" Chika sounded stunned and when Videl turned her head to look at her, the female cat's eyes were opened wide. Even Takako looked a little awe struck.

"I'm fine." Videl assured them, pulling herself up uneasily. "A little worse for wear, but I'll live." She tried to laugh, but it came out more like a whine than anything. She breathed in slowly. She had been running on adrenaline since she threw herself at Minoru and now that had gone, all she felt was dizzy and wobbly. All the scratches on her body felt like they were on fire and the side she had hurt, when she was still human, throbbed.

"You sure as hell don't look fine to me." Takako said, his usual cockiness taken away, replaced by something else. Surprise? Admiration?

"Really," She laughed weakly. "I'm oka-" But before she could finish, she felt her legs giving out again.

"Woah!" Chika rushed forward, catching Videl's body with her own before she could fall. Videl leaned against the cat, shoulder to shoulder, cringing in pain. "Taka, take her other side."

Without a word, Takako came and supported Videl's other side and the two walked Videl over to a corner of the alleyway, where they could be protected by the tall walls. There, Videl sat down on the ground with a thud, relieving the pressure on her shaky legs.

"Now, lets take a look at you." Chika bent down and took Videl's bandage between her teeth. The material was hanging off her body limply, torn away in the fight. It didn't take much for the material to come away entirely, sliding past Videl's body and falling to the ground. Then, she began licking the wound, taking away the blood that clung to her fur.

Videl cringed as Chika's rough tongue was draw over her skin, but she didn't protest. Carefully, Chika cleaned Videl's fur with her tongue, going across the scratch on her back and settling her black fur back into position. As she did, Videl watched Takako sit in front of her. He was watching the ground to his left, like he didn't want to look at her and every now and then he would lick the back of his paw and brush it over his ear.

Really, she should have been far more freaked out by the whole situation. First Minoru and his cats, then the dog. And now, being licked clean by a street cat wearing her hair band on her leg. But all Videl felt was a little numb. Like, she was watching this happen to her on a television set or something. Like she was detached from the situation.

The real world seemed miles away.

"Why were you following me?" Videl was startled at Chika's question. The other cat stopped washing Videl's fur and sat next to her, green eyes staring into hers.

"I…" What was she supposed to say? Videl looked down at the gold band around Chika's leg. "Where… where did you get that from?"

"I found it in another human city. I've been living there to get away from Minoru." She glanced up at Takako, but he still wouldn't look up. "I sort of fell into it, got my paw stuck inside. It's just something abandoned by a human."

"Oh." So it was hers. "Why did you come back here then? If you wanted to get away from Minoru?"

For a moment, Chika was silent, her eyes focused on the other cat who sat in front of them. "I had to come back for my brother. I was selfish and I left him behind. I didn't want him to be alone in this city. I was worried about what Minoru might do to him." Videl saw Takako's face contract into a frown, but he didn't say anything.

"I see."

Silence fell over them. Videl wasn't sure what she should say - if she should say anything at all.

"Thank you," Videl looked at Chika as her voice broke the silence. "For your help. You were extraordinarily brave."

Videl grinned. "No worries! It's nothing new to me." Chika looked at her in confusion.

"I want to repay you. I can help you find your human if you like. It is better if we stay together in Minoru's territory."

_Gohan!_ Videl's head shot up to the sky, now stained dark blue. What time was it? She must have been gone for hours! She hadn't even thought about Gohan. _What if he's gone home already? He must be so worried! He has enough to worry about, what with…_

_What with me missing._ Videl looked down at the ground guiltily. _He's so worried about finding me. He's been trying so hard._

"Where does your human live? We'll take you there."

"I want to…" Gohan's face flashed through her mind's eye., where he was lying in bed, staring at the ceiling. Worrying about _her_. "I want to see my dad."

_I'll get out of your way, Gohan. I'll stop being a burden.

* * *

_

It was morning. It was still dark, but it was definitely morning. Gohan had barely slept and now he was just lying in bed, staring up at the ceiling, dark shadows covering the white paint.

Really, it would have been a good excuse to get up and do some training. Awake on a Sunday morning at 5AM. He needed to keep in shape. He could even wake Goten up and have a spar with him, like yesterday.

But Gohan really didn't feel like a spar this morning.

It had been nearly a week since Videl went missing, and he still couldn't find anything. Sitting up, Gohan closed his eyes and focused his mind on the chi signature he'd been monitoring for the past 5 days. It was faint, meaning it was far away and that she wasn't fighting. But it felt strange.

Since it changed, he'd been trying to work out what it was that was so strange. What was making it feel distant like that? Like something else was blocking it from getting through.

Gohan focused harder, bringing the chi to the centre of his mind, concentrating on nothing else until it was all he could feel. Nothing! It didn't rise or fall, didn't flicker in the slightest. A constant hum of human energy held captive by something he couldn't identify.

With a gasp, he let go of Videl's chi signal. He panted, having not realised he was holding his breath and sweat collected on his brow. He fell back against the bed.

Subconsciously, his hand reached out to rest on Neko's head. He had half lifted his arm when he realised there was no cat there to rest on. He opened his eyes again.

It was strange, but he was really missing the cat's presence.

Chi-Chi hadn't been too happy about Neko leaving either. When Gohan came home and told her how the cat had left CC and gone back to the streets, the woman seemed just as disappointed as Goten had.

_Was she really that important to everyone?_ Gohan wondered to himself. _Maybe I should have stopped her from leaving. Maybe I should have gone to look for her. I mean, what if she gets hurt again? And I found her in **Satan** City! She doesn't know her way around **West** City!_

Gohan felt guilt pulling at his stomach again. _Did I do the wrong thing? Should I not have let her go?_

Gohan pushed a hand through his hair.

_First I lost Videl, and then I couldn't even look out for a little cat._

"It's no wonder Videl's gone missing. I couldn't even look out for Neko."

* * *

"Are you sure we're going the right way, pet?"

"Quit your whining, would you? I've been on this road a hundred times. We're going the right way."

"I don't get why you should lead. Chika knows how to get to the other city just fine."

"Because, you little brat, following the highway will get us there in half the time."

"I don't get why we should trust a stinking human licker."

Videl expelled a long breath of air. Takako was really starting to get on her nerves now. Of _course _she should be leading! She had _driven_ down this road _herself_,for Kami's sake! The 236 highway was a direct link between West City and Satan City, and it was connected with at least two other cities where they could stop off should they need to.

Her heart missed a beat as another car sped past, far too close for comfort. That was the problem with walking along the side of a highway. There was no side walk, thousands of cars speeding past and a speed limit that made her head spin.

"We're going to get killed!" Takako yelled above the rumble of traffic.

Videl just kept walking along the side of the road. Takako behind her and Chika following him.

* * *

For more than six hours the three cats walked along the side of the 236. When the sun started to set and they were still nearly ten miles from Satan City, they had left the highway in search of shelter for the night. Chika had commented that it wasn't like cats to follow human sleeping patterns. Normally they would have slept several times during the day in order to stay up during the night to hunt for food. But, they shouldn't complain. They had escaped from West City without another run in with Minoru's gang and they had come far closer to Satan City than they would have had they followed Chika's route.

Now, the three had found shelter in a suburban neighbourhood in Backpack Town. The three cats rested under one of the bushes in a back garden, lying on a bed of wood chipping and dead leaves left over from the last Fall.

Videl opened one eye. The two siblings had their backs to Videl, curled up side by side. Carefully, she eased herself onto her paws and crept out of the bush, keeping an eye on the pair in case they noticed her leaving.

Once out, she padded across the lawn of the garden, admiring the waning moon that hung over head. Silently, she walked up to the garden wall, a tall brick thing with ivy creeping across it. Crouching down, she leapt up onto the wall in one movement and sat on the thick surface.

She stared up at the sky. She was tired and her body ached but she couldn't sleep.

"Why didn't you want to return?" Videl looked over to see Chika sit down next to her, Videl's band glittering around her paw.

"What do you mean?"

"You're not going to return to your human owner. Instead you wish to find your father. Why?"

Videl thought for a moment, then looked back at the cloudy sky.

"I don't have an owner."

"Oh? But then-"

"He was just… making sure I got better. I don't want to bother him any more, so I'll go home." _At least I hope I can go home. _

"I see." Chika joined her in staring up at the sky. Two cats watching the stars.

"It's just that…" Chika looked back at Videl as she bowed her head, her feline voice a near whisper. "It's just that since I left… I've been really scared. I-it wasn't scary when I was with him, but now…" Videl was surprised when her voice cracked, a tear slipping onto her paw. "Now I'm so scared. He made me feel so much safer and he didn't even know it was me. I never thought that… I didn't have to think that I wouldn't… h-he…" She couldn't speak anymore. She was crying. So hard she was sobbing into her chest. She was crying, and she didn't know how to stop.

When the sobbing lessened, and she couldn't wail anymore, she shivered and whimpered to herself, tears still building in her eyes as she huddled against herself.

"I have heard stories," Videl looked at Chika. "About cats who were so close to humans. They would live only for them, exist only for them. They would stay by them and always return to them. Some say that they lost their souls to them. Or that their cat spirit died because they relied upon them. But I believe… that it is because those cats fell in love with their humans." Chika turned around then, and leapt off the wall.

Videl wasn't crying anymore. Just staring at where Chika had been sitting.

After a minute, Videl wiped a paw over her face, rubbing her sore eyes.

"Gohan, please save me soon."

She jumped off the wall and walked back to the make shift shelter.

Somewhere, in the deep recesses of Mt Paozu, Son Gohan fell asleep with a young blue eyed girl in his thoughts.

* * *

AN: While writing this, I was also looking around for a new computer background and ended up falling across half a dozen new Fruits Basket spoilers. Once I'd read them, I went off to the site that holds pre-translated images of the manga. I know how it ends. I know what happens to this character and that character. I cried over it. I wonder if I'll be kicking myself in the morning for spoiling the surprise for myself.

Honestly, I think I'd be kicking someone else if I couldn't find out how it ends for the next 2 years (or however long it'll take for them to publish those last 7 books in english…).


	14. Chapter 14

AN: Hmm. A surprising amount of my reviews for the last chapter involved people telling me about how they like things I mentioned in the disclaimer and my AN (i.e. Furuba and Avenue Q). For some reason, that made me smile.

**Disclaimer: **I'll teach you the proper poise when you talk to boys, little ways to flirt and flounce. That is taken from the song 'Popular' from 'Wicked', which means I didn't write it. The characters in this story are, for the most part, from 'Dragonball Z', which means I didn't make them either.

**Last Time: **After a minute, Videl wiped a paw over her face, rubbing her sore eyes.

"Gohan, please save me soon."

She jumped off the wall and walked back to the make shift shelter.

Somewhere, in the deep recesses of Mt Paozu, Son Gohan fell asleep with a young blue eyed girl in his thoughts.

**Chapter 14**

Monday morning in suburbia. Backpack Town: 3 miles south of Satan City. A middle aged man stepped out of his front door, stretching in the bright sunlight. Bleary eyed, he scratched at the opening of his bath robe and reached for the hose pipe that lay in a tangle on the paving slabs.

Turning on the water at the tap on the wall, he held the hose away from himself and pointed it towards the flowers around the boarder of the lawn.

Yawning, the man thought idly about the day ahead: a meeting with management, files that needed handing in the HR department, the hot new assistant on the forth floor and his wife's egg salad sandwiches.

He was in fact, so absorbed in his own thoughts, that he jumped out of his skin when the sound of screeching cats made him drop the hose, still at full pelt and now spinning wildly.

The cats in question bolted from their hiding place in the bottom of the hedgerow and fled across the street and out of sight.

Videl stopped, panting on the pavement, her heart thundering from the shock wake up call. Shaking cold water out of her fur, she sat down and looked around. Next to her, Chika and Takako licked miserably at their matching mottled fur.

"What was that?" Takako asked bitterly, flicking his damp tail in disgust.

"I think maybe we outstayed out welcome." Videl replied, her voice groggy with irritation and sleep.

"Bloody humans." He licked his paw with a growl.

"Well, we're up now and we still have a long way to go. We need to get going." Chika said, her voice calm as always. She started to walk away from them, back towards the highway.

"Dammit, what about food? I'm freakin' starved!"

"Taka there is no time to gather food now…"

Half listening to the siblings argument, Videl got up to follow them, only to have to sit back down again with a cringe. Her body resounded with a dull ache and her side was starting to sting again. She took in three deep breaths to ease the pain.

"Are you alright, Videl?" She looked up to see Chika looking back at her worriedly.

"Yes, I'm fine. A little sore is all." She tried to smile, but didn't quite make it.

"Humph." Takako strolled up to her arrogantly. "I bet she's just sick for food, that's all."

Videl frowned at the cat's tone, but she had to admit he had a point. That last thing she had eaten was the half a muffin Chika had scrounged up from somewhere or another. And that had been two days ago. Her stomach constricted in hunger, giving an audible rumble.

"You're right, Taka. She's used to eating more regularly than us. If she doesn't eat soon, she might get very sick." Chika stated humbly.

"When was the last time you hunted anyway?" Taka asked, his face brought close to Videl's.

"Wha- I don't hunt." For some reason, this made Videl flush with embarrassment. Maybe it was the amused look it gave Takako.

"Heh. No wonder you're so damn weak." He turned his back on her and began walking away again. Videl felt anger rise up along with her fur, which bristled on her back. "I don't care how good a fighter you are, a cat who can't hunt isn't worthy of being a cat at all. When we get to the human city I'm teaching you to hunt."

Videl's anger disappeared as quickly as it came. "You-You'd do that for me?"

"Well I can't let it get out that I was wandering around with some half-cat, can I?"

Videl grinned. "Thank you, Taka!"

"Hey! What did I tell you about calling me that? It's Takako! Got it! Hey!"

Videl just laughed and ran past him.

* * *

Gohan drummed his fingers on the table, and under the desk his leg bounced up and down. He held his head in one hand and frowned down at his textbook blindly. He felt so useless just sitting there. Energy built up inside him all day, until now he felt like the slightest touch would send him rocketing through the window

The teenage Son let out a long breath of air and glanced out the window. The sun grinned at him from behind the glass and Gohan looked away. All day he'd been sitting in classroom after classroom, watching the clock and wishing more than anything that the day would end so he could continue his search for Videl.

As of tomorrow, Videl had been missing an entire week and that thought alone had put Gohan entirely on edge.

Millions of rumours about Videl's current state were everywhere Gohan looked. The papers and TV broadcasts reported a number of accusations as to who was to blame, groups taken into questioning and numerous 'ransom notes' left by would-be kidnappers. In school, gossip flew around about Videl Satan's secret affair with a police officer, her escape from Hurcule (who beat her daily, by the way) and her death (which had, of course, been covered up by her father who didn't want the public to know of her agonising demise). Even on the street, Gohan overheard people discussing the disappearance of Hurcule Satan's daughter ("So sad to hear about little Videl Satan.", "Yes, and so soon after her mother's death.", "That poor man. And after he saved us so heroically.").

But, despite agonising over every possibility and another fruitless search the previous day, Gohan still could not work out where Videl was.

For the hundredth time that day, Gohan closed his eyes and checked Videl's chi signal, just to make sure she was still alive. She was. _I feel so helpless. It's like I'm waiting for her to die._

For a moment, Gohan wondered if that really was what he was doing: waiting for her chi to disappear altogether, for that tiny blip on the edge of his radar to vanish. Maybe, in the end, that would be all that happened. Maybe he wouldn't find her until it was far too late. Maybe he wouldn't be able to save her either…

"Mr Son? Mr Son!" His head flew up.

"Y-yes, sir?"

"You have a call waiting… in the office?" The teacher at the front of the room signalled to the woman standing at the door, his voice suggesting that, really, he should know that.

"Oh. R-right." He stood up, the feeling of pent up energy sinking down to his toes as he walked out of the room. He was glad to be up, but he felt a little dazed – as if he wasn't really moving.

It was a strange feeling.

Wordlessly, he followed the woman out the door and along the hallway, watching the back of her grey shirt and violet hair, and remembered her to be the receptionist that had given him his timetable on his first day.

When they got to the office – which, thankfully, was just down the hall – the receptionist indicated Gohan was to go into the room behind her desk, saying: "It's your mother on line one. Just pick up the receiver." in a voice that showed she really didn't care, before sitting behind her desk and returning to her game of Solitaire.

Curiously, Gohan walked into the room and pushed the door shut behind him, wondering what could be so important that his mother would need to pull him out of class for.

"Hello? Mom?" Gohan asked, picking up the phone and putting it to his ear.

"Gohan! Finally! What took so long?"

"Bulma?" He blinked in surprise.

"Huh? Oh right. Yeah, I had to say I was your mom or they wouldn't have let me pull you out of class. But hey! I have something you'll want to see down here!" Her voice was fast, and her tone rose and fell at a rapid pace; a sure sign that she was really worked up over something.

"What is it?"

"Remember that stuff you brought me? Well, as it turns out, not all of it is junk!"

"What do you mean? Did you find out something about Videl?" Gohan could feel his own voice raising in hope, spurred on by Bulma's excitement.

"Well, you'll have to see for yourself. I want you down here right now, you hear?"

"But, Bulma, I still have fifty minutes of school left…"

"Doesn't matter! Tell them… tell them that I've been in an accident. Your mother I mean… you known, since they think I'm her."

"Bulma! I can't just lie to them!"

"Would you rather sit in class for another hour?"

Gohan thought about this. Really, if he had the chance to learn something about Videl, it was far more important than sitting through a lesson he had already learned.

"Alright. Ok, I'll be right over."

* * *

"Thank Kami! I didn't think we'd ever get here!" Videl cried in relief, sitting down on the ground in – at long last – Satan City.

"Thank Kami? What a strange saying." Chika laughed cheerily, sitting down neatly on the sidewalk.

"Human saying." Takako muttered, but Videl was too tired to pay him any attention. Her body was throbbing even more after the long walk (3 miles for a cat was far longer than Videl had excepted it to be) and she was beginning to wonder if hunger really was the only thing making her body sore.

"Jeez, am I ever hungry." Takako moaned, looking out across the city from their vantage point inside a small park.

"I must admit, I'm rather hungry myself. Aren't you Videl?" Chika asked, licking her un-banded paw.

Videl stomach groaned. "Oh, wow! Yeah, I really am." She said, thinking longingly of Chi-Chi's home cooking.

"Right!" Takako stood up, giving his fur a quick shake. "Time for your lesson, pet." He chuckled to himself as he padded away, Chika slinking after him.

"I know just the place to get the best prey. Let me show you." The sister tortoise shell said, taking the lead. "There's vermin there like you wouldn't believe."

Videl stared after them. Something had suddenly dawned on her. "Vermin?" She asked, picking herself up and scurrying to keep up. "You mean, like mice?"

"Of course." He scoffed. "And if we're lucky, maybe we'll get our paws on a rat too. You wouldn't believe the meat on some of the rats here, right Chika?"

"Best I've tasted." The female cat agreed, leading them up to a stout brown wall that went around the park. "Now, if we go this way we should get there in half the time as on the street." She leapt up onto the wall in an elegant sweep then rushed off along the top, Takako hot on her heels.

"Rats? I have to eat…" She shivered, but not wanting to loose the siblings, she jumped onto the wall after them.

The three of them rushed across the city. Jumping from wall to wall, wall to building and – finally – building to ground. As they leapt through the familiar city, Videl looked around at the streets of her home town, a city named after her father following the Cell Games all those years ago.

When she remembered this, Videl thought back to Gohan. Seeing him transform out on the lawn. _Just like he did at the Cell Games._ She knew it was him. It had to be. After all, the picture on the wall was of the boy from the Games and he could be no one _but_ Gohan.

_I miss him_. The thought came unbidden, but she couldn't deny the truth behind it. The fear that hung over her since she decided not to go back to Capsule Corp. wouldn't go away and again Videl wondered if she had made the right choice after all.

"Here we are. I always get a good hunt here."

Videl jumped down beside Chika and blinked in surprise. Chika had brought her back _here_? Of all the places in the city, Chika had brought her to the ally she passed out in. It felt like a lifetime ago, and in some respects it was. Her old life certainly seemed to end here.

"Actually, this is where I caught on this," Chika raised her leg, showing off Videl's hair band to the sunlight. "While I was trying to hunt."

"O-oh." Videl looked around the ally with an odd sense of detachment. How strange it was that she should end up here again.

Videl's body throbbed as she walked forwards. For some reason, she felt like she was too big for her own body. It was a bizarre sensation. She walked to the opposite wall and looked around in the trash. Looking for something, anything of hers.

Suddenly, she caught a glimpse of gold nestled among the trash bags. But, just as she was about to reach for it, Takako's hushed voice stopped her.

"Hey, pet. I've found you some food."

* * *

"Gohan, come over here!" The second Gohan opened the doors to Bulma's labs, the woman's voice greeted him, echoing against the metal in the room.

"What is it that's so important, Bulma?" Gohan called back, hurriedly picking his way over to the blue-haired woman sitting before the large screen on the other end of the room.

"Well, I looked through all those papers you gave me and I couldn't really pull much up. Just common lab stuff: commissions and background data. Then I took a look at those test tubes you got for me." Bulma pulled up some windows on the screen as Gohan came to stand behind her.

"And?"

"_And_ I found something a little more interesting." She smiled sideways at him. "The one I looked at was a total no-go. Some chemical you can buy perfectly easily through the black market." Gohan's eyes widened at this, but Bulma swept right on by. "Then we get to test tube number two. Well, now we have something. Turns out this thing's full of living tissues!" Bulma pulled up two of the windows, showing spirals of DNA and reels of flashing words that Gohan didn't have time to read. "Naturally, this got me wondering and I looked a little further into it. It wasn't obvious at first, but the genetic information isn't human!" She said all this with an air of excitement that made her body physically shake. Gohan frowned in concentration.

"Not human? What do you mean? Like… Saiyan?"

"Huh? Oh, Kami, no! No, nothing like that." Bulma laughed. "No, this was animal DNA. Except, it was mixed up with something that altered the code, if you see what I mean."

Gohan frowned. "I think so."

"Well, I'll show you." She clicked on the window holding the digital DNA. Two sections separated from the strand, highlighted with red. "See, parts of the code were replaced with these. And do you know what they are?" Gohan stared at the screen and shook his head. "Human! They actually mixed up human and animal DNA! Amazing, huh!"

"But, what? Why? I don't understand."

"Well, neither did I. It bugged me for ages! But, of course, everything has a solution at the end of it." She started pulling up more windows. "At first I thought there might be something in the other test tube, but that was just Sodium Dichromate so nothing special there. So, I just hacked into the research centre's computers."

"Erm… isn't that illegal?" He asked, but Bulma just gave him a wink.

"And, what should I find inside? Well… I found this." Another window flew up and Gohan scanned over the writing.

"Felis Domestica? The domestic cat?"

* * *

Videl padded next to Takako, her shoulders hunched low to the ground.

"You see?" He murmured, eye glimmering, teeth shown in a twisted smile. Videl scanned the spot he was staring at. She didn't see it; she felt it.

"Yes." Something in the back of her head was whispering to her. Her whiskers twitched, the long hairs sensing life and predicting death at the same time. It felt wonderful.

"Kill it." He whispered. _Yes_. The voice in her head whispered. The feline meow that settled under her fur. _Kill it._

She crept forward, her body pressed to the ground, shoulder blades raised. Videl smelt the air, awash with scents and, right in the middle: her prey. Her body got even closer to the ground and she stopped moving as her prey finally came into sight.

The rat stood with its back to her, thick fur coloured black and white, with a long mottled tail lying limply on the ground. It was eating something it had found in one of the garbage bags, nibbling with a sharp crunching sound that filled Videl's head. Every movement, she saw it, she felt it, while the hapless creature was oblivious to her presence.

Closer it came, nibbling and sniffing the air. Videl shuffled nearer. It was right under her. Somewhere in her head, Videl wondered what it would be like: to sink her teeth into a breathing animal. To taste its warm blood and feel its bones crumble under her grip. She ignored this voice. It scared her a little.

Her long whiskers twitched. There. Right there!

She pounced forward. Panicking, the rat tried to run from the sudden predator, but Videl was too fast. Her paw landed on its back with a squeak of protest from the creature. Videl put on more pressure, feeling it squirm satisfyingly under her.

"Alright, Videl!" She heard Takako meow in the background. Something clicked inside her head. _What am I doing!?_

And then the world fell apart.

The first thing Videl felt, was a fire blazing in her wounded side, like her flesh was being torn apart. She cried out in a gigantic yowl of pain and her prey slipped away from her, unnoticed.

"Videl! Videl!" Chika cried in worry, rushing to her side. Videl staggered backwards, her body shaking. She pulled her body as close together as she could, eyes pressed together against the pain, teeth jarred.

"Videl! What's wrong?"

"Pet? Videl? What happened?"

Videl breathed in sharp breaths of air that burned her lungs. Then, her whole body screamed. And she joined in. Screaming and crying out, staggering across the ground. If Takako or Chika said anything else, Videl didn't hear.

She fell to the ground as wave after wave of pain hit her, like the ebb and flow of a tide.

And then everything…

Stopped.

* * *

"They mixed cat and human DNA?"

"That's right." Bulma wasn't smiling anymore. Her face had fallen very serious. "That's when I got to thinking. You brought me these things thinking they had something to do with Videl. And… I had an idea. I looked over the information on that cat you have with you, the one dad looked at…"

Gohan stared at Bulma curiously. She had suddenly gotten so serious. What was she-

Gohan's head flew up. Something changed and it felt like something hit the side of his head. For a moment, he thought he imagined it. But no, there it was again. Stronger this time and then it dropped, lower than it had been before. _Videl!_

"Bulma, I have to go!" Gohan cried, flying round and beginning to run. _Videl! She's close! I have to get to her! I've finally found her!_

"Gohan, stop!" Bulma's cry was so stern Gohan had to stop. He didn't turn around, he just stared at the door. Videl's chi fluctuated wildly, but it was there. In Satan City.

"Gohan, listen to me. It's only a theory, but I'm pretty sure I'm right." Bulma paused, staring at Gohan's back. "I'm pretty sure that cat is Videl."

* * *

Takako and Chika stared. A black cat lay on the ground in front of them, twisted beyond recognition.

The two watched, transfixed, as the cat changed. Bones crunched and twisted and grew. Fur retracted, replaced by pale skin and hair flowed from a skull that changed shape. Fingers replaced paws, arms replaced legs and nails replaced claws. Her tail retreated into long, drawn out spine.

Before them, a little black cat took the shape of a young woman, unconscious in an ally in Satan City.

* * *

AN: And so, as I eat congratulatory Pocky sticks (Yes, I have Pocky! World's greatest candy! XD), Videl is human again. ("Finally!" I hear many of you scream. Yes, finally.) It's hard to believe, but I've finally got this far. It's going to be strange, writing this story without the main character being a cat. Now, how many writers can say THAT about their stories? 


	15. Chapter 15

AN: So, this'll be interesting. No more Videl "Neko". I have privately entitled everything from this chapter on "Post Feline". Hmm, that would be a good name for a sequel… not that I'm suggesting anything! It was only a thought! Oh, whatever.

**Disclaimer: **"I'll keep you my dirty little secret." sing The All-American Rejects. "Not mine: Akira Toriyama's!" sings the author of this fanfic.

**Last Time: **Takako and Chika stared. A black cat lay on the ground in front of them, twisted beyond recognition.

The two watched, transfixed, as the cat changed. Bones crunched and twisted and grew. Fur retracted, replaced by pale skin and hair flowed from a skull that changed shape. Fingers replaced paws, arms replaced legs and nails replaced claws. Her tail retreated into a long, drawn out spine.

Before them, a little black cat took the shape of a young woman, unconscious in an ally in Satan City.

**Chapter 15**

Takako sunk back into his skin and moved a little closer to his sister. He looked to her for comfort, but her wide eyes, staring out into the gloom, only served to provide him with more unease.

His fur bristled with cold and confusion and his mind whirled. The young cat looked out into the ally from where he and his sibling hid themselves in the shadow between two trash cans.

The moon had almost completely taken over the day now, and in the distance, Takako could just hear the forlorn bark of a dog, hidden by traffic and the sting of a siren. The air smelt strange and it weighed heavily over him, giving him the urge to both run and never leave, all at once.

In front of him, a human was standing. He was pretty sure he was a male, but with his limited knowledge of humans it was difficult to tell, but still he was pretty sure. He wore those strange, brightly coloured garments that all humans wore, and in one hand he held some strange, round object that he had pulled off of his head. On his head, his black fur (but, didn't they call it 'hair'?) stuck up into the air, and his eyes were directed at the ground. There was another human: a female curled up in a ball, which just minutes ago, was as feline as Takako himself.

What was happening?

"Chika?" He whispered. His sister was staring fixedly at where Videl had just been.

What was _happening_?

"Chika!"

Her eyes flicked to the male human.

"Her human."

He dropped his helmet.

* * *

Gohan stopped in the air, hovering above an obscuring bank of low-hanging clouds. He glanced upwards, the dark night sky shone back at him.

This was bad. This was terrible. But his basic instincts were all telling him one thing: at least Videl was safe.

He turned his eyes to the girl in his arms.

When he had felt her chi again, after it had been nothing but a glimmer for so long, he was flooded with relief. And then, when Bulma had told him that she thought that… and then, finding her again: scratches covering her back, the blood slicked to her side as she lay naked-

Gohan blushed deeply and diverted his eyes away from her. Naked. Why was _that_ the fact that seemed so central in his mind? He glanced back at her, hanging limply in his arms, her black hair waving limply in the breeze, her eyes closed in unconsciousness and Saiyaman's red cape thrown over her body.

"Was it you the whole time, Videl?" He asked her, but she remained lifeless.

Had it actually been Videl next to him all this time? Was Videl the cat who had lived with him since the day she disappeared? The whole time. The _whole_ time.

Suddenly, he felt Videl's body slipping away from him and he moved his left arm to get a better grip on her. As he moved, he felt the bare skin on the back of her legs. _She's naked._

He blushed again. Turning his eyes skyward behind the visor of his helmet. This was _really_ bad!

"Alright, I just need to be rational about this. No big deal." He mumbled to himself. "I could take her back home… but then what will I say when she wakes up? And how would I explain it to mom? Plus, if anyone finds out she's at mine, they'll think I kidnapped her… no not home. Bulma's? Then she can make sure she's all right… no, it'll still be kidnapping. Argh! What am I going to do?" He looked down at Videl, who frowned in her sleep, biting her bottom lip in what he guessed to be pain. He moved her slightly until she seemed to be more comfortable. "I guess I'll take her back to her house."

A few minutes later, Gohan was hovering over Satan mansion. Below, the large home of Hurcule was half-asleep. Most of the news vans were still parked outside the gates, but hardly anyone seemed to be straying outside of their vehicles. Inside, only one or two lights appeared at the windows.

Concentrating, Gohan tried to work out what the best way to get inside would be. Of course, he couldn't be seen carrying around the missing, _naked_ Videl Satan. If the media got a picture of him right now, Saiyaman would become a kidnapper and a pervert all at once! Not a good look for a super hero.

So the front door was out. How about the back? No. If anyone caught him inside the building he'd be a kidnapper, a pervert and breaking-and-entering.

Through her bedroom window it was then.

Keeping half an eye on the static vans, Gohan floated closer to the building. It took a few circuits around the mansion for Gohan to realise that, actually, he had no idea which room was Videl's.

"Oh, man. This isn't getting me anywhere." He looked down at his classmate. "Alright, hang on tight, Videl."

With one last glance at the camera crews, Gohan burst into Super Saiyan and flickered out of sight. Faster than the eye could follow, the demi-saiyan darted around the outside of the large compound, looking into every darkened window in search of something to indicate the room inside belonged to Videl.

Finally, he found the room. Thankfully, it was at the back of the building and, therefore, away from the prying eyes of the media. Silently, he slipped out of Super Saiyan, and pushed open the window with ease.

He had been worried about security, half expecting an alarm to go off as soon as he so much as touched the building. But if one did, Gohan certainly didn't know about it.

Leaving the window open, he touched down onto a carpet swathed in shadow. Moving towards the bed, he glanced around the room, making sure he had the right one. It was sparsely decorated, and the few pieces of furnisher didn't seem to do anything to combat the room's hugeness. A few pieces of clothing were thrown on top of a desk, hiding the keyboard to a computer. There was a clock on the wall, and a poster advertising the upcoming Tenkaichi Budokai. On the bed, the covers were neatly folded, as if someone had made it. More than likely a maid who worked in the house. A set of weights lay on the floor by the end of the bed.

He lay Videl down on the bed. In her sleep, the girl cringed as her scratched back and re-opened side stung. She looked, to Gohan, very small: her slight form covered in his bright red cape, surrounded by a bed that was too big for one person.

There was dirt on her cheek. Without thinking, he put a gloved hand against her face and whipped it away, then pushed dark hair away from her eyes.

"I'm sorry I couldn't protect you, Videl. I'll try harder next time."

He took his hand away, and turned around to leave. Only to stop short and turn back around.

He blushed, looking at his cape covering Videl's naked body.

_If I leave that, people will STILL think I kidnapped her. _Biting his lip, he thought over the possible implications of taking back his cape, while more and more blood rushed to his cheeks. _If I take it away, she'll be totally naked! She wouldn't want people to walk in and find her naked! But, if I leave it, people will know I brought her here. And then they'll jump to conclusions and they'll hunt me down and put me in jail…_

Finally, after much room pacing and hand twisting, he decided he really didn't have a choice.

"I'm sorry, Videl." He told her, standing next to her with a blush. "I won't look, I promise."

Eyes shut, Gohan took the glossy material off her body, feeling her shift a little as he pulled it from under her body. Dropping it to the floor, he fumbled around until he had hold of the covers on the bed and, with a little difficulty, pulled it over to cover her up.

"Go…ha…n."

He opened his eyes and stared at her.

Then looked away sharply, heart thundering.

"Sorry! Sorry! Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!" He quickly dropped the blankets over her and, picking up his cape, hurried out of the window and closed it behind him, the image of Videl's body imprinted in his mind's eye, making his face burn.

"Thank you."

* * *

Videl dreamt. She was standing somewhere she didn't know, and all she could see for miles were clouds. She looked down, and she caught a glimpse of green far, far below. Above her, blue.

She stood on a mountain. Right at the very top. The ground felt smooth under her bare feet. She realised that she was completely naked. She looked down at her body. Perfectly human, with pale white skin. Perfect, unmarked skin.

She looked down. She couldn't see the mountain. Maybe she wasn't on a mountain at all. She moved her feet and her toes curled around the edge of the platform she stood on. Rounded and neat, like a long pole reaching into the sky.

Wind moved her hair, but she didn't feel it on her skin. She looked at her hands, turning them over and over and examining them.

She looked down again. The clouds had cleared and below, a dark sea crashed against itself. She was too high. She was too high!

The wind hit her skin, freezing her to the core as she stared fearfully down. She couldn't breath. She stumbled back and fell.

She was falling, wind beating her skin, air caught in her lungs, falling towards the ocean with nothing to stop her falling.

She tried to scream, but she couldn't. She was so scared, but try as she might, she couldn't scream. She was going to die, alone and naked and cold and scared. _Help! Someone help me!_

"Go…ha…n." Her voice was a breath in the turbulent wind. No one could have heard her. She shut her eyes and covered her face with her arms.

The wind stopped. She opened her eyes. She was still falling, but the ocean didn't get any closer. Something soft wrapped itself around her. Her fingers tangled themselves in a blanket and she hugged it to herself with a smile, turning so her back faced the water and she was looking at clouds instead.

She opened her eyes a little. It was dark. She turned her head and watched as red material floated out of the window, before it was closed by a pair of white gloves.

"Thank you."

She closed her eyes, and slept.

* * *

"It has been confirmed this morning that Videl Satan, daughter of the saviour, Hurcule Satan, has been discovered safe and well in her room at the family mansion in Satan City. Although details of Videl's disappearance have yet to be established, it has been confirmed by Mr. Satan's spokesperson that his daughter's reappearance is a great relief to both himself, and the entire city. He has also confirmed that Videl has not yet woken up since her return, though several doctors have assured him that she is in a stable condition. Miss Satan is not to be moved from the building, and all medical treatment will be brought to her within the mansion. Mr Satan's lawyer also had this to say…"

Chief Longhouse, of the Satan City Police Department, dropped the knife he was holding, a piece of half-buttered toast held limply in his hand.

In the corner, the radio kept playing the morning's news report, the interview with Hurcule's lawyer filling his head.

"Thank kami." He leaned against the counter, and covered damp eyes with his hand. "Thank kami."

* * *

"It has been confirmed this morning that Videl Satan, daughter of the saviour, Hurcule Satan, has been discovered safe and well in her room at the family mansion in Satan City. Although details of Videl's disappearance have yet to be established, it has been confirmed by Mr. Satan's spokesperson that his daughter's reappearance is a great relief to both himself, and the entire city. He has also confirmed that Videl has not yet woken up since her return, though several doctors have assured him that she is in a stable condition. Miss Satan is not to be moved from the building, and all medical treatment will be brought to her within the mansion. Mr Satan's lawyer also had this to say…"

The hairbrush forgotten in her hand, Erasa stared at her reflection in the mirror, blue eyes wide at the voice on the radio. Videl was safe. She wasn't missing anymore and she was safe.

"Videl you idiot." She dropped the hairbrush onto the floor and put her hands over her face. "You idiot, I was so scared!"

The blonde sat on the floor and sobbed.

* * *

Videl scrunched her eyes against the burning sunlight. Sleepily, she blinked her eyes open and looked towards the window. Daylight poured into her bedroom, the curtains opened wide. Wired. She hated sleeping with the curtains open.

She tried to sit up, only to find she couldn't. When she tried, her whole body ached, the root of which lay on her left side.

Sighing, she looked up. In the middle of the room, her father paced back and forth, his ridiculous hair looking dishevelled and messy, as if he'd run his hands over it too many times.

"You'll wear the carpet out, doing that." She told him. Hurcule whirled round and stared at her. Then he burst into tears.

"Videl!" He launched himself at her, throwing his arms around her neck and burying his face in her thin shoulder. "You're alive! Daddy was so scared, but you're okay! My little Videl's back home again and I'm never going to let you go again!"

Videl blinked in confusion, shifting up onto her elbows with some effort.

"D-Dad, calm down. I'm fine, see?"

"B-But…" He looked down at her with a sniff. "Where were you? Where have you _been_?"

Videl stared at him.

"I'm not sure…"

* * *

AN: I've been wondering... what would people think about having a fanart competition for Videl Neko? I've always wanted to see what a fanart of this story would look like. Would anyone actually be interested? There'd be a prize of course. I could write a VN based one-shot dedicated to the winner of the contest. And I could put all the entries up on display somewhere… anyway, let me know if it's a good idea or not. 


	16. Chapter 16

AN: Right now I've just finished sitting my GCSEs (which to anyone outside the UK will mean diddly-swat), and since I wrote this in the middle of them, it probably wasn't the best time to sit down and write fan fiction, but what are you going to do? But now they're over, it means I have officially left high school (I'm going to college for Sixth Form rather than staying on (and again, anyone not in England…)). It's very sad, since only two people are coming with me. It's the end of an era I thought would last forever. I almost wish exams hadn't finished.

Almost.

**Disclaimer: **Cultivate your hunger before you idealise. Cultivate your anger to make them all realise. That is the second ending of the Japanese Naruto, which I don't own. For me to write down the second Japanese Dragonball Z ending, I would have to hum a lot (and say 'Angel' a few times), so I won't, but I don't own that show either.

**Last Time: **

"B-But…" He looked down at her with a sniff. "Where were you? Where have you _been_?"

Videl stared at him.

"I'm not sure…"

**Chapter 16**

Videl hauled herself up quickly and coughed another Technicolor yawn into the toilet bowl. When she finished, she thumped back onto the tiled floor gasping for breath.

She moaned, curling into a ball and scrunching her eyes together as the waves of nausea passed over.

When she felt able enough to open her eyes without heaving again, she pulled one hand in front of her face and studied it between deep breaths. Her pale hand shook violently. She put it back on the floor and, with some effort, pushed herself up. She flushed the toilet before she could see or smell what was inside and staggered to the sink.

Clutching the porcelain bowl, she looked at her reflection in the mirror over the sink. Sweat, brought by the fever, clung to her colourless skin and her normally bright blue eyes were dull, surrounded by dark rings encouraged by her lack of sleep. She touched her hot forehead, which presented a stark contrast to the cold shivers that racked her body. She let her hand drop before she touched her hair: the black strands limp and greasy.

"Disgusting…"

She twisted the tap and splashed icy water at her face, the sudden cold making her gasp, before cupping her hands under the faucet and lifting it to her cracked lips.

Before she could even wash away the taste of vomit, a wave of dizziness hit her like a blow to the head. She clamped her eyes shut, gripped the sink and did a dry heave that left her throat burning.

She could have cried if she'd had the energy. Instead she wiped her mouth and turned off the tap. She panted down at the sink for a moment, half surprised not to see blood washing down the plug hole, then pushed away and stumbled out of the room.

Eventually, she was able to stagger her way down the corridor, clinging weakly to the wall and thanking the powers that be that no one was around to see her pitiful performance.

When her fever had hit, two days ago, there had been doctors and physicians and pale-faced officials everywhere. Hurcule, like the panic-stricken king fearing for his princess's life, had sent for every healer in the land to attend to his daughter. Between fever-induced blackouts and vomiting, the doctors had performed every test they could think of, for every ailment they could think of.

Having reached her bedroom, Videl made her stumbling way to her bed and carefully eased herself onto the comforter.

The doctors had not only tested her for what was causing her fever, but they had also examined her body thoroughly in order to report any "problems" back to the police. They'd tested for drugs and found nothing. They'd cleaned the scratches on her back and bandaged her side and scoured every inch of her body (and I mean _every_ inch, much to Videl's dislike) for bruises or marks.

And, most embarrassing of all, they had tested for sexual activity. With a humiliated moan, Videl curled up in the fertile position at the memory of the doctor telling a distraught Mr Satan "Not to worry" and that his daughter "was still a virgin."

_Of all the indignities! At least it never came up in any of the news reports. Even the tabloids seem to have trod carefully around the subject. _

"Urgh."

Videl shivered. Blearily, she pulled the comforter over her body and fell asleep wondering when she had last slept for more than five minutes at a time.

* * *

The eldest Son boy punched the air, concentrating on keeping up a protective stance to defend himself in case his shadow decided to fight through his attack. Like water, he slid around a retaliatory one-two punch to knock the feet from under his imaginary opponent.

Deciding to give his shadow (who was now lying helplessly on its back on the grass) a break, Gohan lowered his guard with a calm release of air and stood with his eyes closed, arms by his sides.

After a second or two, his raised his head and studied the sky. There wasn't much air movement, but there was enough to encourage an ominous looking grey cloud to bridge the horizon, bringing with it the possibility of rain in the morning.

Gohan rubbed a hand over his eyes. What a mess.

Three days had passed since he had at last seen Videl and returned her home. Since then he'd been scouring every newspaper article and every news report for updates on her condition. Apparently, Videl had developed a sever fever 24 hours after her mysterious reappearance. Her condition had lead doctors to believe it to be a reaction to a foreign substance within her blood stream, but when examined they couldn't find any notable chemicals in her body, which had left them stumped. Undoubtedly, this would have been from the 'cat chemicals' as Bulma had dubbed them, which either hadn't shown up on the tests or had passed through her system (meaning she was having a delayed reaction to whatever had been forced into her body).

Since the report on her ill health, little had been confirmed, other than that the illness was on going and that Mr Satan had brought in every other health-care professional in the city to care for his little girl.

Other than that, little information was coming forward. Now she was home safely, the media seemed to be loosing interest. That being said, curiosity into where Videl had been in the week she had been missing was everywhere.

But Gohan knew where she'd been.

"She was in my house." He sighed, dropping unceremoniously onto the grass.

Part of himself was glad about it. This way at least he knew where she'd been, that she's been perfectly safe within his care (if unbeknownst to him). But another part was trying to drag up every memory of those few days in a panicked, embarrassed fluster. What had she seen? What did she know? Did she remember? What? What? WHAT?

"Gohan?"

"What?" He looked up to find Goten by his side, unruly hair blocking out the sun on the other side of his head.

"Are you practising?"

Gohan sighed. "No, not any more, squirt. I think I'll call it a day."

"Ok." He didn't move.

"What is it?"

Goten sat down next to his brother. "Was that kitty really the girl from your class?"

"Yeah."

"Ok." Goten looked absently up at the mountain that loomed in the distance ahead of them. Gohan followed his lead and the brothers sat for a few minutes in silence.

"Gohan, when are you going to go back to school?"

"Tomorrow I think." Since finding Videl, Gohan had avoided going back to school. Subconsciously he was probably trying to avoid bumping into Videl. It certainly wasn't a reunion he was looking forward to, even if it would be good to see her back to normal (not to mention conscious).

"Ok."

"Would you like a spar, Goten?" Gohan smiled as his sibling's face lit up in a grin at the long-awaited proposal.

"Yeah!"

* * *

"…Next we add two onions, finely minced-"

Flick.

"-don't you dare take that tone young-"

Flick.

"-look at the majestic-"

Flick.

"-of the world saviour, Hurcule Satan, is said to now be recovering nicely in her home in Satan City. In other news-"

Flick.

"- me when the hour arrives, wake me with my name."

Videl dropped the remote onto the carpet with a sigh, leaving the station on some unknown music channel that drifted somewhere on the hundreds of stations she'd been flicking threw for the past 2 hours.

"Sod all to watch. Typical." The teen pulled herself up from where her head had been lolling upside-down over the end of the bed. Pulling the half-empty bag of cookies towards her, she took one out and took a big, crumbly bite.

After two and a half days of utter hell, she had finally shaken off her fever, leaving her drained and hungry, something she was now making sure would never happen again.

She looked considerably better now too. Once her fever had lifted, and she'd wolfed down a hamburger and fries, she'd had the longest bath of her life (a full hour and a half). Now her hair was back to its usually glossy, messy state and her skin not only had colour, it didn't smell half bad either.

But now, she was bored.

Hurcule was refusing to let her leave the house, determined that she wasn't strong enough to face the outside world. Not to mention they still hadn't found the "little punks who bloody did this to you".

She had of course been interviewed by the police half a dozen times, but each time she'd told them, quite firmly, that all she could remember was passing out, then waking up again in bed three days ago. It didn't satisfy them, but she wouldn't give them anything more.

She finished off another cookie, then threw the bag onto the floor.

"Miss Videl? A visitor." The way the police officer said 'visitor' made it sound like she was locked up, rather than lying around in her own bedroom.

"Sure, send them through." Videl told him absently, running her fingers through her hair and getting them caught in the tangles at the ends. _Damn, where'd I put that brush?_

She was just about to get up to look for said brush, when a feminine cry went up from the doorway.

"Videl!"

"Erasa, what are you do-oof!" The blond had rushed across the room and thrown her arms around her fast enough to knock the wind out of her.

"Girl you wouldn't _believe_ the trouble I've had trying to get in here! I've been trying to see you all week but no one'd let me in. I'm so glad you're all right now! Where were you? What happened?"

Videl blinked, trying to get her breath back as Videl crushed her ribs and chirped into her ear.

"I'm alright, Erasa." She said as she gently pried her friend off of her. "Why are you here so early? It's only just gone 10."

"Oh, I got up early to come and see you. I've been here since 9 trying to get past all those police officers. There sure are a lot of them, huh?" She smiled at Videl in a way that suggested that this was perfectly natural talk for 10 o' clock on a Saturday morning.

"Well… thank you." She smiled back. "I'm glad to have a visitor I'm happy to see for a change."

"Hee, good to hear. Oh, Videl! What's wrong with your hair?"

Videl touched her messy black tresses self-consciously. "What do you mean? I washed it yesterday."

Erasa just tuted and pulled a little flip brush from her purse. She went round and sat behind Videl and started brushing the knots out of her hair.

"Alright, tell me everything."

* * *

Erasa left just before 1, having heard all the gruesome details of Videl's sickness and all the non-happenings that went on between Videl disappearing and Videl re-appearing. Videl then sat through two hours worth of gossipy details about school, what rumours were currently circulating (most of them about Videl herself), what classes Videl had missed, who had said what to who and who's party and so on.

By three, Videl was suitably bored again. She fiddled with one of the twin plaits Erasa had inflicted on her hair and stared at the ceiling. For some reason she couldn't stop thinking about birds. The image of two swallows flying in and out of each other had materialised itself in her brain and it was giving her a headache.

Videl sat up, rubbing her forehead with her palm to try and ease the tight pain thundering through it. The pain eased up and she sat in silence for a moment.

"Alright, that's it."

She jumped up and walked to her door. Easing the door away from the frame she looked through the gap down the corridor. Two policemen were standing at the end of the hall talking, and she'd place money on there being another two at the end she couldn't see.

A radio buzzed to life behind her, confirming her suspicions and she listened to the familiar sounds of a cop report coming through. It didn't seem to be addressed at the policeman it came from, since he didn't do anything about it.

Videl closed the door with a muted click and backed away from the door. When no one came to see what the noise was, she smiled to herself.

"Perfect."

Walking across the room, she picked up some boots that were lying haphazardly by her bed and went to the window.

Within seconds Videl had opened the window and was hauling herself onto the sill, looking down. She was only on the second story (with another two towering overhead), but even for her the jump looked big.

She glanced around, looking for any police (there wasn't any) before throwing her boots down to the grass below. They landed with a thud and rolled back towards the building. _Good, so if the fall doesn't kill me, I'll land on my shoes and break my neck._

"Alright, suck it up, Satan. You've done bigger before. At least the ground isn't moving."

With a grim determination she sat down on the ledge and eased herself to the edge. _1…2…3!_ She pushed off and fell through the air, the ground rushing up to meet her.

Suddenly, the grass became an ocean: crashing against itself waiting for her to hit it. Videl nearly screamed. She gasped and the grass reappeared, calm and serene. She landed uneasily on her feet and crumbled to the ground. She pushed herself back into the wall, breathing heavily. Her head throbbed and shock waves thudded from her feet upwards.

Videl sat for a few minutes, breathing heavily and waiting for the pain in her head to disappear. Finally, she pulled herself up using the wall and picked up her boots. As she walked her ankle burned angrily, giving her a limp.

* * *

Gohan slunk behind police cars, keeping a watchful eye on the overturned 4x4 lying in the ring of officers. According to what the police had told him, the irate 23 year old male had cracked after loosing his job (there were rumours of a drug addiction in there too) and was now holding his pregnant girlfriend hostage behind the car with 2 pounds of dangerous explosives.

Nothing too extreme then.

He leaned forward a little but he still couldn't catch sight of the pair behind the vehicle.

"Come on then! Ain't any of ye' gonna try and stop me?!" The man's shout was followed by a whimper from his hostage.

_Nothing else for it then. I'll just have to wing it. _Concentrating, he jumped quickly into the air over the car and landed in front of the pair crouched on the tarmac.

"Now that's no way to treat a lady." He smirked at them in his best super hero voice.

"The fu-?!" Before he could finish his expletive, Gohan had him face down on the road, the pregnant woman stood behind him and the explosives pushed away towards the police, who jumped on top of it in an attempt to disarm the bomb.

"Are you alright, ma'am?" He asked the girl (who was indeed quite pregnant).

"Y-yes, I think… so." She blinked, obviously not too sure what had just happened.

"That's good then. You should go and get checked out in the ambulance just in… case."

"Yes. Thank you so much, Saiyaman." But Gohan didn't hear her. Something else had caught his eye. Videl Satan had pushed her way through the police and was looking around with a scowl.

_Videl!_

She turned her blue eyes onto him and met his gaze, her scowl fading as she stared at him.

* * *

A small tortoiseshell cat slunk out from under a police car and hurried to the side of the road. He looked back, turning his green eyes of a human girl half hidden by other humans and black and white cars.

"Taka, hurry up." Another cat called to him from the trees by the side of the freeway.

"Coming." Takako gave Videl one last look before chasing after his sister.

* * *

"Damn, I missed it." Videl muttered to herself, pushing through the crowds of police that hovered about the roadside until she was right at the front of the ring of officers. She looked around with a frown before turning her line of sight to the middle of the ring.

Videl stared at the tall male, dressed in that familiar, ridiculous outfit. A pregnant woman was standing next to him and he seemed to be staring right at Videl from under his visor. She imagined his dark eyes connecting with her blue ones, wondering why she was here, where she'd been, worrying…

"Videl?"

"W-what?" She tore her eyes away and looked at the balding man standing next to her, a worried look on his face.

"Videl, what are you doing here?" Chief Longhouse's voice was gentle.

"Don't worry," She laughed with false cheer. "I asked daddy before I left, so there's no need to worry. Just wondering what everyone's been up to in my absence."

He didn't look convinced, but he nodded and went back to his car.

Videl sighed and looked back to the centre of the commission. Saiyaman was talking to some officer or another, but kept glancing in Videl's direction between replies.

Videl rubbed her forehead. For some reason seeing Gohan made her head hurt.

Seeing Gohan… 

She pulled her hand away and stared at Saiyaman with wide eyes.

_Seeing __**Gohan**__ makes my head hurt. Gohan?_

"What?"

* * *

AN: I've had a lot of very positive responses about the fan art idea (see the last AN of chapter 15). So I will quite happily put that on. I'm going to America this summer for 7 weeks (Wheeeeeeeeeeeee!) so I'll probably be using that time to collect fan art from everyone since I wont be able to write much during that time (if at all). You'll be able to find all the details in the next chapter so I'll have to find a hosting site to put all the entries onto. If anyone has any good places they know of to do this, please tell me!

And a huge thank you to everyone who's reviewed Videl Neko! The story has now passed the 400 review mark and I couldn't be happier if I tried. Thank you all SO much!


	17. Chapter 17

AN: This is the last chapter of Videl Neko I'll be writing for a while. From July 1st until August 20th, I'm going to be in America. (Anyone who's been reading my previous AN's will already know this) I'm going to be living with my sister (who gave birth during chapter 3. Lol) in Savannah, Georgia, as her (technically) au pair. I am unbelievably excited, but I'm sorry that I (more than likely) wont get any chance to update over the next 7 weeks. But, there is a conciliation (please see bottom of chapter for details)…

**Disclaimer: "**It's just a song about ping pong"… but I don't own that song by Operator Please. It's just a Dragonball Z fanfiction… but I don't own the show by Akira Toriyama.

**Last Time: **

She pulled her hand away and stared at Saiyaman with wide eyes.

_Seeing __**Gohan**__ makes my head hurt. Gohan?_

"What?"

**Chapter 17**

Gohan stood against the wall, watching another of his classmates throw herself over the bar and onto the crash mat on the other side.

_I wonder what she's doing?_

The girl clambered off the blue mat back onto the gym floor and, at the whistle, another student ran and jumped.

_I wonder if she's happy?_

He closed his eyes and felt her warm presence in the back of his mind.

_I wonder if she remembers?_

Two days had passed since he'd seen Videl on the highway out of Satan City. Two days since their eyes had met for the first time in more than a week as two human beings. Two days since he'd watched her turn away from him and push her way out of the crowd of police. And two days since he hadn't followed her.

He regretted that. But what would he have said? Did she know? Did she remember?

Gohan sighed to himself. What was he supposed to do in this situation?

Videl still hadn't come back to school. Gohan wasn't really sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. If she was at home at least she was safe, but if she was here… he could see her. The young demi-saiyan could still see her in his head, looking him straight in the eye.

_She looked good with her hair pulled back._

His eyes snapped open and a blush spread across his cheeks.

"Gohan? Gohan!"

"Huh? What?"

"You're up, kid. Get a move on."

"Sorry, coach." He hurried away from the wall towards the high jump.

* * *

"Damn."

Videl placed her head on the desk in front of her. The room around her was silent, without even the sound of the traffic able to get past the thick glass of the window. A reduction in security meant the police had left the hallway, reducing their numbers to two men on the front gates and a man at each of the three main entrances to the building.

Videl tapped two fingers on the wood above her head, beating out a steady one-two rhythm.

Tup-tup, tup-tup, tup-tup, tup-tup.

In her other hand she pushed a pen up and down, rolling it between her fingers.

"What happened?" She lifted her head a little so she was balancing on her chin. "Where did we go? Damn it, I don't remember."

She picked up the notebook in front of her and stared at it. _'Cat. Cat. __Cats. __Bad one… Min---? Mino… Minoru! Fought (scratches on back!!!). A dog…' _and further down the page _'Left West C.'_.

After seeing Gohan on Saturday, Videl had been trying and trying to figure out how she knew it was him under the Saiyaman helmet. She started to remember things. Just little things, like the taste of rice and fish or the smell disinfectant. Whenever she remembered something it would hit her like a train, making her head throb as flashes of new, old information came back to her.

After a while the memories didn't hurt as much. They were longer, more detailed. She started to remember large chunks of time rather than just the odd image or smell or taste. She would see a face and then have to think of the name that went with it. She had started to write everything down when she tried to organise her thoughts, only to find she had forgotten something she'd only just remembered.

When she started to remember that lost week of her memories, everything that came back to her felt foreign; like it had happened to somebody else. But after a while-

"_I want to see my dad… take you there… The 236 highway…"_

"Ha!" Pulling her head up with a jerk, she scribbled down the new memory at the bottom of the page. When she couldn't find any more to write about, she put down the pen and flicked through the book: pages and pages of half-remembered information and vague recollections.

With a sigh, she put the book down and looked out the window in time to see a dark cloud roll over the sun and cast Videl's room into shadow.

_Maybe it didn't happen. It's so hard to remember… maybe it really was just a dream. How could it be real?_

"I have to know."

She pushed back her chair and walked away from the desk.

* * *

Half an hour saw Videl stood at the entrance to the slip of space between two buildings in Satan City. She looked down the familiar shadowy ally, garbage bags staring back defiantly.

Taking a steadying breath, she stepped forward and the first drop of rain hit the ground behind her.

"Chika?" She peered into the semi-gloom. "Takako?" Nothing. "Are you here? I want to…" What? What was she excepting to gain, exactly? She shook her head. "Chika! Takako!"

She walked to the end of the ally, calling their names, then back again. The rain kept falling. More and more until it was bouncing endlessly off the tarmac. Looking around in desperation, Videl walked back to the middle of ally and - pulling the jacket off her shoulders – sat against the wall and put the jacket over her head.

She waited. After ten minutes, she pulled a napkin out of her pocket. Unfolding it, she put it on the ground next to her. Inside were two biscuits she had taken from the kitchen on her way out.

"I know it's not much conciliation," she told the ally. "But I thought you might be hungry."

Another ten minutes and Videl was struggling to stay awake. She blinked heavily and her head dropped, before she pulled it back up again. She yawned and rubbed a hand over her face. She blinked longer and slower until her eyes shut all together.

Almost asleep, it took Videl a minute to realise that she wasn't alone anymore. Opening her eyes she looked at the cat in front of her, sniffing one of the biscuits she'd left out.

"Don't worry. They're all right." Chika turned her head to Videl and blinked at her calmly. Videl smiled at her and the feline bent down to lick the custard crème.

Videl waited until the cat had eaten the first biscuit before she broke the silence again.

"I suppose I didn't just imagine it then." She said, looking at the gold band round Chika's leg. The cat looked at her with calm green eyes. "It really happened."

Videl looked away, hugging her knees to her chest. _What am I going to do?_

She felt a nudge at her arm and smiled.

"I know. I shouldn't be so full of myself, right? It could be a hell of a lot worse." She scratched the fur behind Chika's ear, getting a soft purr from the damp cat. "You're getting all wet," Videl took the jacket of her head and held it over her lap. "Come here."

Chika looked reluctant for a moment before jumping onto Videl's lap. She let Videl drape the jacket over her back before lying down. The pair sat it silence for a while and Videl looked up to the sky, feeling the rain run down her face.

"Can I tell you a secret? I'm actually pretty scared. It's silly, I know, but…" Chika moved a little on her lap. "I guess… I just can't help it." Videl brushed tears away from her eyes in surprise.

Chika turned her head under the jacket so she could see Videl's face.

"Will you stay with me? Just for a little longer?"

Chika curled up on Videl's lap.

* * *

Two feline orbs watched Videl Satan's sleeping form from the bottom of the bed. Chika lay with her head up, watching the teenager.

_What an odd situation._ It was warm inside the mansion, and Chika couldn't stop the contented purr tickling the back of her throat. Outside the rain was still falling, though it wasn't as hard as it had been before. The cat's tail flicked the comforter idly.

"Sister!" The yowl turned Chika's head towards the window. "Sister!"

She looked back at the girl before standing up and hurrying over to the window. Pushing her way through the curtains, she jumped up onto the windowsill and looked out the semi-open window.

"Taka."

"Chika, what are you doing?" The male sibling twisted round at the sound of her voice from where he was stood on the outside wall of the Satan compound. "I've looked for you all over the city."

"I will apologise for not telling you I would be leaving," Chika sat down. "But not for my being here."

"What?!" He frowned. "Have you no feline pride? To be seen in a human house-!"

"-Is no concern of mine. Nor should it be one of yours."

"But, Chika! You're not safe with that… that… demon cat!"

"She is no such thing!" Chika hissed at her brother, making him flinch.

"Chika, please," Takako whimpered up at her, humbled by her outburst. "You have to come back. I need you, sister."

"I'm sorry, Taka." She stood up and turned away. "But Videl needs me more." She jumped down onto the carpet and padded over to Videl's bed.

The next morning, when Videl was walking out of the door to walk round the garden, a small tortoiseshell cat strolled passed her into the house, tail held high.

* * *

Videl stared into the pair of blue eyes that watched her. She twisted her head left and right, and scrunched her nose at her. With a huff of air, she picked up her arm and poked her reflection squarely between the eyes.

"What to do, what to do…"

Taking her hand off the mirror she ran a hand down her messy hair, drawing her fingers over one of the bands that kept the unruly locks in pigtails.

"Right." She told her reflection decidedly.

Videl felt better. _Much_ better. In fact, she felt better than she had in a long time.

Picking up the scissors from the sink, Videl pulled out the bands, letting her black hair loose around her shoulders.

It struck her now that it was time to take control. It was high time for Videl Satan to stop acting so scared.

Snip. Drop.

How had she ended up so frightened? She was supposed to be strong…

Snip. Drop.

She'd always believe that she wasn't afraid of anything. And somehow she had ended up afraid of everything.

Snip. Drop.

Wasn't that just too pathetic? The bravest, strongest girl in Satan City was afraid.

Snip. Drop.

But of what? She still couldn't figure that out.

Snip. Drop.

Maybe she was afraid of the fact that, for the first time, she had needed saving…

Snip. Drop.

… And, that the first time she'd needed saving, she'd run away.

Snip. Drop.

Was that why she was scared? Because she was afraid of being saved?

Snip. Drop.

Why? Why should that scare her?

Snip. Drop.

Maybe that wasn't why she was scared at all…

Snip. Drop.

Maybe… she was scared of the person who could save her?

Snip. Drop. Clatter.

Videl picked up the little gold bands that had held her hair back and walked out of the bathroom. Down the hall, she shut the door behind her.

"Here, Takako." She dropped the bands in front of one of the two cats lying on her bed. "You can have them," She ran a hand through her cropped hair and smiled. "I don't need them anymore."

* * *

**!!SUPER IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE!!**

**!!PLEASE READ!!**

AN: All right - ladies and gentlemen - the time has come and today I am officially opening the Videl Neko Fanart Competition::insert fanfare here:: I'm hoping that lots of you will take part (otherwise I'll just look silly)!

The following are the rules of (and information about) the competition…

1) All entries are to be hosted at my account (specially made!) on Deviant Art. The name you're looking for in videlneko (pretty easy, huh?). The link is in the 'Homepage' section on my user lookup here on FF.

2) If you already have a DA account, you can either post the image on your account and send me the link (I'll put it in my favourites and it will be just as legitimate), or just send the image straight to be to be put up on my account.

3) If you don't have an account, just email me your entry and I'll do as mentioned above.

4) When emailing me an image (or link), please tell me the name you would like displayed (I suggest your FF name) and any other information you would like displayed alongside the picture.

5) As of yet I haven't set a date to end the competition. For now I'll say around September 1st, but I'll have to see the response I get before I set a permanent date.

6) As for the prise, I will write a special Videl Neko one-shot dedicated to the winner. I have a few ideas for the one-shot, but I will ask the winner if he/she had their own idea as to what they'd like to see (if so I will gladly use their idea). This is open to change if anyone has any other ideas, but right now I like this idea the best.

7) Check out the entries (on DA) and tell me if you have a favourite, as I'm sure to need help deciding who should win.

8) If you have any other questions/suggestions/whatever please feel free to email me.

9) Enjoy the competition!


	18. Chapter 18

AN: So here I finally am! It's been a long, hot summer but now I'm back from America and an official college student (remember what we talked about last time though! Not the same in England)! Anyway, I should have got back to work quicker than this and I'm sorry for making you all wait so long. VN's beta has also requested that I point out the fact that he stalled for a week getting this back to me, which set the update back some more. Anyway, here you go.

Oh! I just noticed something: I've been writing this for 3 years! o.O My kami. It doesn't feel that long!

**Disclaimer: "**Please leave all overcoats, canes and top hats with the doorman.." There we have Panic! At The Disco, who don't belong to me and I don't pretend that they do. Here we have a DBZ fanfiction, belonging to Akira Toriyama. I don't pretend to own him either.

**Last Time: **Videl picked up the little gold bands that had held her hair back and walked out of the bathroom. Down the hall, she shut the door behind her.

"Here, Takako." She dropped the bands in front of one of the two cats lying on her bed. "You can have them," She ran a hand through her cropped hair and smiled. "I don't need them anymore."

**Chapter 18**

Videl opened her eyes. It was bright and she blinked a few times before she could see properly. Looking up she realised she was outside and it was late in the afternoon judging by the sun hung low on the horizon.

_I fell asleep. Damn._

Pulling herself up onto all fours she looked down. The grass was very soft under her paws and she curled her toes into it, claws scraping softly at the soil.

"She has to be out there somewhere." Videl turned blue eyes calmly to Gohan, who sat in front of her in the grass. She walked up and sat down next to him, looking out over fields and – in the distance – Satan City. It seemed to erupt from the landscape. A blemish on green perfection.

"I'm sure I'm alright." Videl replied after a pause. She rubbed the heal of her palm into her eye. It itched, like she was too close to a fire.

"Are you?" She looked at Gohan. His eyes were looking at her sadly. It made her uncomfortable, so she looked back to the horizon where Gohan's house stood a lone sentry in the grass.

"Yes." She was wearing a sweater, which was strange. It shouldn't be cold enough for sweaters yet.

"You look different."

"I cut my hair."

"Did you?" Videl turned her head. Gohan wasn't looking at her any more. Instead he was looking out towards Capsule Corp. The large yellow building looked out of place without West City surrounding it.

Videl sighed and for a while they both sat there in silence, watching the sun set a bit more. It was moving quite quickly, like it was sliding down the sky.

"I hope she's safe."

"I told you: I'm fine." Gohan didn't reply. She turned to him. He was looking down at her like he didn't quite see her. Like he couldn't remember what her name was.

"Gohan?" He smiled a little and patted her head. "No." She could feel his hand resting on her head, flattening her ears. "I wanted to talk to you this time." Her voice sounded panicked and, for a moment, she felt disappointment run through her.

Then Gohan took his hand off her head and the sun finished setting. She looked out one last time and watched the light disappear around Satan mansion.

Videl opened her eyes. There wasn't much light coming in the curtains but she could see the contours of the ceiling over head. Breathing out a deep sigh, she sat up and tried to remember what she had dreamt about.

_I think Gohan was in it, wasn't he?_

Chika was staring at her. She and Takako were curled up at the end of the bed by Videl's feet, her head stuck up over her brother's sleeping form. Green eyes bored into hers questioningly.

"Sorry," Videl whispered, smiling gently. "I didn't mean to wake you. You can go back to sleep, I'm alright." Chika stared at her for a moment, blinked, then put her head on Takako's back and closed her eyes.

Videl sighed, feeling her shoulders fall. She ran a hand through her short hair and wondered if she had time for a run before school.

* * *

Gohan dragged a heavy textbook out of his bag and placed it on the shelf in his locker.

An average Monday filled with the promise of average Monday things. Class, gossip, boredom and a long wait for the relief of the next weekend. For the young demi-saiyan, it was all that and little more. Another day of worrying about a girl he hadn't seen in days, who had spent the best part of a week living in his home under the guise of a cat.

For some reason, as he examined the timetable stuck to the locker door, he wondered why he was so worried about her. He didn't need to be, did he? He knew she was safe. He'd seen it with his own eyes. But he couldn't help it. He'd become so used to having Videl at the forefront of his mind, that now he felt uncomfortable when she wasn't. He'd actually felt guilty when he'd forgotten about her for a moment on Friday during a particularly taxing Science class.

Come to think of it, he hadn't checked her ki this morning. He closed his eyes and rubbed the thick of his neck as he sent out his senses in search for Videl…

… then stopped. His eyes flew back open and his head whipped round, studying the hall. He watched as the warm chatter in the corridor died, each head turning in the same direction as his own, prompted by nudges and whispers.

Silence descended as Videl Satan paced across the floor.

The mess of students parted to let the girl through. Every eye followed her confident steps, while hers stayed pinned straight ahead. On Gohan.

Her bold stare made him uncomfortable and he blushed, feeling his heart thudding in his chest. Unable to hold her gaze, he looked away, catching sight of her hair. Her long messy pigtails were gone, as was the tangled mess he remembered from finding her unconscious at the end of that fate-filled week. Instead, pixie short spikes framed her face, bouncing as she walked. Despite himself, Gohan couldn't help thinking how cute the cut made her look, which only served to add to his discomfort. Deciding that her eyes were the easiest option after all, he shifted his gaze back.

She was getting closer, his heartbeat was thumping in his ears and still she stared at him. Was it still silent? The thud of blood was all he could hear and now he couldn't look at anything but Videl's large, blue eyes. She was coming straight for him. She would run right into him. He stumbled backwards half a step.

And then, her eyes shifted. She was looking past him. Passing by his shoulder and out of sight. As breath returned to his lungs and voices filled the corridor again, the young Son wondered if he'd imagined her gaze. Was she looking at him at all? Did she so much as notice him?

He gulped and shut his locker door, then walked, doggedly, away.

Videl peered round from behind the door of her locker, watching Gohan walk away from her. Sighing, she dropped her head onto one of the metal shelves. All around her she could hear people whispering about her in not-quite-intelligible murmurs. She groaned quietly to herself.

* * *

Days passed. The sun set and rose again and again. People began to forget about the disappearance of Hurcule's daughter. The media slowly lost interest and the world started to move on.

The pupils of Orange Star High began to forget to stare when Videl walked past them in the halls. They got used to her short hair and started to move on as well.

_And I'm still a bloody coward!_ Videl put her head in her hands and drummed her fingers on her forehead. Four days. Four, kami-forsaken days! And she'd done sod all!

_Damn it!_ She glanced past her friend to look at Gohan from behind her fingers. He sat there; diligently scribbling down notes, on something she had no doubt he already knew inside out. And she couldn't for the life of her build up the courage to talk to him!

Despite her resolve that she was brave and strong and not at all afraid, no amount of coaxing could bring her to ask Gohan, face-to-face, what had happened that week.

Though not for lack of trying! Her brain, after her inept performance on her first morning back, had thought up every possible way to get Son Gohan's attention. At one desperate moment she had almost contemplated the idea of flashing him… because _that_ would have gone well.

As it was, most of her ideas strayed along the lines of indecent exposure as was as effectiveness was concerned. Which decidedly limited her choices.

Still, not all of her ideas were worthless. Her first relatively decent, round-about-way of talking to Gohan was to leave him a note. She'd thought this to be quite a clever idea actually. She could spend as much time as she liked getting the right words down to ask him, without the embarrassment of actually _asking_ him.

Well, sure it was a good idea. In theory. In practise, it wasn't quite the fool proof number she'd imagined. After 4 hours, 17 attempts and 12 pens (there had been a lot of stress involved), Videl had to give up and admit she had the writing prowess of a 7-year-old.

Her next attempt had come that same night. Irate from her pathetic attempt at note-leaving, Videl had stormed off to her jet, Chika in tow, with every intention of flying to Gohan's house then and there and just getting the stupid thing over and done with.

Well, somewhere between Chika's sudden, panic-filled realisation that she didn't fly well and a near head-on collision with a flock of seagulls, Videl lost her nerve. Half way to Mt Paouz, Videl turned around and came home.

It wasn't that she'd lost it, oh no. It did occur to Videl that she was being totally anal about the whole thing, and that the only sensible thing to do was to just ask the boy outright. To swallow her pride, her fear and her embarrassment and just talk to him.

Well, she did. Or tried at least. Yep, after Wednesday's math class, she'd walked right up to him and said,

"Gohan, I need to talk to you."

Gohan looked startled by her sudden appearance. He looked up at her, still sat at his desk.

"Erm… alright. What's the matter, Videl?"

His eyes were set into hers questioningly. Big, dark, unfathomable eyes. She could feel her cheeks starting to warm dangerously. Her confidence failed her.

"Can I borrow your notes from last week? You're good with that stuff, right?"

Oh, kami. It was actually painful to remember. Gohan had, of course, diligently handed over his notes and Videl was left hoping against hope that he hadn't seen her cheeks turn pink.

Stupid Gohan and his stupid nice eyes.

_Damn. Now I'm blushing again._

Scowling determinedly down at her textbook, Videl willed the blood out of her cheeks and contemplated her last resort. If tomorrow failed she just wasn't going to bother trying any more.

* * *

Trying his best to keep his attention on the lesson at hand, Gohan rubbed the ache out of his writing hand and looked over the handout. His neat writing filled the space in the margin, the text underlined and re-written here and there in case he needed it later.

Friday already. Videl had been back a whole week.

_No! Focus on the class. Test next week. You need these notes. _

He managed another sentence.

_I guess she didn't remember after all. If she had, she would have said something by now._ Instead, Gohan had watched her from the corner of his eye. By the looks of things, the story in the media that she didn't remember what had happened to her seemed to run true. To all concerned, Videl was the same girl she'd been when she'd left.

A new hair cut and a little quieter perhaps, but the same.

Gohan wished he could say he knew differently. But really, he didn't know Videl that well, did he? She was just a girl in his class, who for some reason he'd obsessed about for the last two weeks. Really, who was he to think he knew what Videl Satan was thinking? He'd never had so much as a proper conversation with her. The one time he'd so much as spoken to her since she came back to school and all she'd wanted was his notes to copy up. He was the geeky kid in her school and she was the daughter of the man who took his credit.

Nothing more.

He did wonder though, what it would be like if she did remember 'that week'. As much as he tried, he couldn't find anything in Bulma's theory to presume she wasn't right. It had definitely been Videl.

Which meant she'd seen… a lot. Not least the fact that he was The Great Saiyaman.

She knew about Capsule Corp and Goten. She knew about his family, his obsession with finding her (oh gods), his strength, his house and –

Dear Kami above, she'd seen him naked.

All the blood rushed out of Gohan's face, then, in an abrupt about turn, flooded back to his cheeks until he practically glowed scarlet.

_Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. Oh NO!_

He put his head down on the desk to try and cover his burning face.

_Oh please, PLEASE don't let her have seen! Or at least let her have forgotten!_

BREE! BREE!

Still absorbed in his own embarrassment, Gohan only just recognised the sound of Videl's police line before she answered.

"One moment, Chief. Sir, may I be excused?"

"Go ahead, Videl."

"Thanks."

Gohan looked up to see Videl jump out of her seat, grab her bag and hurry away out of the door.

Silence reined for a moment, the class all staring at the door Videl had left through, her footsteps thumping away into nothingness.

"All right, back to the text please." The teacher said, clearing his throat and attempting to take back the focus of the room. "Erasa, dear, can you read from the forth paragraph onwards, please?"

Erasa stood up and began reading the passage aloud. Gohan had far more important things in his mind, like where Videl had been called off to.

He didn't, for one minute, think Videl could handle whatever was out there on her own (speaking of which, when did she get a new watch?). It had only been a week! She wasn't ready to go and fight off bad guys yet. What were the police thinking?

"Gohan? Unless there's some reason you're staring into space, pick up where Erasa left off if you would." Gohan turned and blinked at the teacher standing behind his desk. Erasa sat down again and looking at him expectantly, as was the majority of the class.

"A… actually, sir, I'm not feeling all that good." He stood up, smiling in what he hoped was a sickly way. "I think I'll take myself down to the nurse's office, if that's alright?"

Not waiting to hear the reply, Gohan hurried (wobbly, of course. He was ill, after all) to the door and out into the hall. Closing the door he didn't spare a minute before rushing away.

_Alright, where will she have gone? She can't have gotten too far yet. If I can just get airborne I should be able to find her jet copter easy enough. Oh, but what if she's gone by foot? No matter, if I can get a good enough lock on her ki, hopefully I'll be able to find her. It should be stronger if she's running around anyway._

Gohan leapt neatly up the stairs to the roof, taking the metal steps three at a time.

He flung open the door at the top, all set to search for Videl's ki before leaping into the air, when he realised he didn't have to.

"Videl?" The teenage girl stood in front of him in the centre of the roof. She faced him head on, hands by her sides, eyes set dead into his. His mouth felt dry. "What's going on?"

She didn't reply straight away, she just looked at him. Then,

"I've lost my watch." Gohan wasn't sure how to reply to this. What was he supposed to say? Should he console her for her loss?

"Erm… oh?" _Is she blushing?_

"I've… not been given a new one yet."

Another silence. Gohan swallowed, trying to get some moisture back in his mouth. Where had all his spit gone, dammit?

"It was my alarm."

"It was… Oh." _That's right. I didn't think her radio usually sounded like that._ Dimly, Gohan wondered why he hadn't let go of the door handle.

No one spoke. She was still staring right at him. Gohan started to feel his skin crawl in discomfort. Why did she have to keep looking at him like that? It made him nervous.

Videl looked away, her eye's shifting to the ground by his feet. It was like coming up for air. Gohan's body relaxed a little. _Kami, I think I've bent the door handle in half._ He opened his palm and chanced a sideways look at it. _Oops, yep. Darn._

"We need to talk." Videl was still staring fixedly at Gohan's shoes. He wasn't sure, but Gohan thought it was making his toes nervous. "About last week."

* * *

AN: Now, lets see… the fanart contest. So far I've had 2 people enter with a total of 3 pieces. Which means, of course I don't have enough work to actually host the competition properly. So please, if you want to enter let me know. You can find me under videlneko of deviantart, or follow the link on my user look-up.

I should have another chapter soon-ish, but make sure not to hold you breath. I'm trying to write more but it's hard with all this new work I'm getting from college. So, sorry everyone and thanks for bearing with me!


	19. Chapter 19

AN: There are certain clichés you find on . Summaries that read: "I can't write summaries". People who complain about spelling and tell a writer "Youre speelling suxs!!". And, of course, writers who start every update with "I'm sorry I haven't updated!". Yeah. I am a cliché. But it has been (nearly) a year. So, if anyone has stuck it out and has come back for this: thank you. Endlessly.

**Disclaimer: **"Today be still your beating heart, you'll have to keep on beating…"

**Last Time: **"We need to talk." Videl was still staring fixedly at Gohan's shoes. He wasn't sure, but Gohan thought it was making his toes nervous. "About last week."

**Chapter 19**

Vegeta ran a hand through his hair, feeling warm sweat stick to his fingers. It had been a productive morning and he felt he had rightly earned (not that it wasn't his right anyway) his mid-morning forage of Capsule Corporation's main fridge.

The Saiyan was just contemplating how many types of animal meats he could fit inside the half-loaf of bread left in the cupboard when he rounded the corner, coming alarmingly close to a startled Bulma.

"Oh! Vegeta."

He grunted an indifferent recognition before side stepping the woman and returning to his kitchen hunt. _Black Forest. Parma. Canadian Bacon. And cheese… should still have some Cheddar if the boy didn't eat it…_

"I feel bad for Gohan…" Vegeta looked across sharply to find Bulma walking alongside him. "I wonder how he's finding it now Videl's gone back to school."

Vegeta didn't respond. _Maybe Parmesan. _

"You know, Gohan took the whole situation really to heart. Maybe it's just that Hero Nature of his, but I think ChiChi's right: I think Gohan really likes this girl."

_Olives. Black olives in the cupboard over the toaster. _

"Kind a weird though, huh?" Bulma laughed lightly. "Her being Hurcule's daughter. What a wired in-law he'd make to Gohan!"

_Turkey. And the spiced chicken on the bottom shelf._

A pause.

"Mind you… I suppose I could have been wrong. I still haven't spoken to the lab technicians from Satan City so I can't be sure if Videl really was the cat following Gohan around that week."

"Course it was." Vegeta scoffed, spinning Bulma's head towards him in surprise. "Even Kakkarot's idiot son should have been able to see that."

When the hall fell silent, Vegeta looked over to Bulma only to find she was no longer at his side. Vegeta's curiosity won a marginal victory over his hunger, making him stop and look back.

"Vegeta?" Bulma furrowed her eyebrows at the plush carpet. "You… knew."

Vegeta smirked, scoffing proudly, "You'd be surprised how much I know, woman."

"I see." Another pause. Deciding the conversation was over, Vegeta turned to leave. "How long have you known?" Only to be stopped again.

"What does it matter to you-"

"How long, Vegeta?" He glanced backwards. Bulma was still looking down at the carpet, her expression half hidden behind sea-foam hair. It wasn't overlooked by the Saiyan prince that her hands were in fists.

"A week. The first time the brat came here jabbering on about that girl."

Bored, Vegeta left Bulma in the hallway. _So, you're back now girl? All right, let's see how you do from here. Entertain me._

When the automatic door to the kitchen slid open, it was accompanied by a loud _Bang!_ from behind Vegeta.

"You SON OF A-! I can't _believe_ you, Vegeta! Who do you think you _are_, keeping this from me?! Do you have any idea how much trouble you caused? Just because "Prince Saiyan doesn't share"?! Do you?! DO YOU?! I swear to _Kami _if I could kick your-"

Rubbing his ear, Vegeta cast a forlorn glance at the fridge before retreating for safer territory outside the Capsule Corp compound.

"- I mean WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!"

* * *

In the centre of Satan City, a pair of high school students walked through the crowds, looking for all the world like a normal teenage couple, killing time after class.

Of course, they were neither a couple, nor anywhere near 'normal'. Either of them.

Videl stole half a glance at Gohan, before loosing her nerve and looking back to the shop windows on the other side. Dresses, shoes, toys, jeans flashed past her unnoticed.

_What am I doing?!_ She twisted the bottom of her shirt in her fingers: anything to take her mind of the heavy air lying between her and her companion.

She looked at her reflection in the glass next to her: a mess of black hair, blue eyes and… _am I STILL blushing?_

Moving her eyes up she could see Gohan's face in the glass, hovering over her own, eyes set ahead awkwardly. He looked nervous. _He can't be half as uncomfortable as I am right now. What am I DOING?_

Only half aware that she'd been repeating this same line for the past 13 minutes, she examined the face over hers. Thick spikes flicked upwards from his scalp in orderly chaos. Strong, broad shoulders and 'smart' clothes that hid his body's true nature. Videl felt her face begin to warm again. _Bad. BAD!_

Feeling someone watching him, Gohan turned to look into the glass, catching Videl's eye. She bit back a choke of surprise and turned to look ahead, a frown making a vain attempt to cover up her embarrassment.

For a long time neither spoke. They crossed the street, heading down a hill away from the high street.

_Oh… kami. Please let something fill the silence! What was I thinking? More importantly: What. Am. I. Doing?! What's happened to me? I should be kicking his ass from here to West City! Instead I'm acting like a 14 year old on her first date with a boy! Get it together, Satan!_

"Do you like my hair?" _Say what? _"I cut it."

"Oh… erm…"

_Kami above, WHAT WAS THAT?_ Videl studied her boots as she walked, mentally kicking herself for her outburst. _I mean, who says that? 'Do you like my hair?' The SILENCE was better!_

"It's… nice." Videl looked at Gohan in surprise. His cheeks were flushed and… was that a smile? He glanced her way and must have been surprised to find her looking at him, as he spluttered, hands flailing: "N-not that it wasn't nice before! No! It-it's just that… well… it'll be good for when you're fighting! And it… it won't get in your eyes or… erm…"

"Oh." Videl could have laughed. _Gohan looks so funny when he gets nervous._ She smiled to herself. "Hey, why don't we get an ice cream? I'm kind of hungry, aren't you?" She asked, pointing to a vendor parked beside a fountain on the other side of the street.

"Ah… sure, yeah."

Videl lead their way across the street, joining the line of children and parents searching for relief from the warm weather.

"I haven't eaten a real ice cream cone in ages." Videl explained cheerfully, happy to have found a diversion from her outburst. "Just the stuff out of a tub from the freezer."

She looked over at Gohan to find him smiling at her. "Really?"

"Ah… yeah." _For the love of… I was just getting calmed down. Gohan you jerk!_

"Well, then, I'll treat you to some."

"No! No, you don't have to do that, really." Videl said, startled and embarrassed by his offer. "I can get my own."

"Oh? But, ice cream always tastes better when it's a gift, right?"

Videl felt her heart falter. He said it so matter-of-fact-ly, looking at her so openly… she wasn't sure if she could get her mouth moving enough to tell him "no".

"O-ok."

And so, Videl was treated to ice cream. While Gohan bought their snacks, Videl went and sat on the edge of the fountain, feeling the light mist against her back from the water's back-splash.

She could feel her pulse in her throat thrumming erratically. Where had this come from? This… _girly_ self-consciousness. She had never been like this before! It was humiliating. She rubbed her temples and wished she would get a headache. It would make a good distraction.

Gohan walked up to her, a cone in each hand. _How did this happen I wonder? _

"Here, Videl." He handed the girl her cone and sat down next to her.

"Thank you."

As silence fell over the couple, Gohan cast his eyes over to Videl... only to catch her watching him. They both turned away hurriedly, faces turning pink at the mortification of being caught in the act.

_Should I say something?_ He wondered, not daring to look at Videl for fear of some internal meltdown. _Should I be thinking of something to say? I mean, what kind of social etiquette are you supposed to invoke in this situation? I mean, _she_ asked _me_ out. Does that mean that she should be the one to think up topics of conversation? Or should I be the one to start talking, being the gentleman? … Asked me out?_ He felt himself blush. _No, no, no! She didn't 'ask me out'! This isn't a date or anything… I mean… NO! Not. A. Date. _

Unaware he was being watched, Gohan's face began betraying his inner dialogue: frowning, twitching and turning. His ice cream dripped down his hand unnoticed and his foot tapped an erratic gig on the concrete.

Videl resisted the urge to laugh.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Wh-what?" Gohan jumped, startled, before noticing his disintegrating ice cream and began a futile attempt to save it. Videl bit back a laugh and smiled.

"Never mind."

Videl gazed up at the sky. Faultlessly blue and glistening. Unthreatening white clouds drifting through idly.

"You're mother's a very good cook."

"…"

"She might even be better than our chef. Though better not tell him that."

"…"

Videl lowered her head and glanced at Gohan. He was very still and very silent. His ice cream (now nothing more than an empty half-eaten cornet) sat in his hand just as still and silent. He wasn't looking at her.

"I didn't remember at first." She looked away, watching the line for the ice cream vendor. "It took a few days. I started getting headaches and I would remember little bits. It took a long time to remember everything. Even now there are a few gaps. Little pieces that don't add up. But maybe they didn't add up anyway. It's weird I kn-"

"Videl…" He was still staring at the same spot. Videl smiled and finished the last of her cone.

"I never understood what you were trying to achieve." He looked at her then. Searchingly. But she kept her head turned away for him, watching children and parents and men and women waiting in line in the warm afternoon. "You were trying so hard to find someone you barely even knew. Why? I never gave you any incentive to worry about me. I never gave you any incentive to do anything but mistrust me. So… why?"

She turned her head and for a few moments there was nothing. Nothing but blue on deepest black. Every question and every answer. No questions. No answers. No one. Everyone.

"Because I couldn't protect you."

Videl sighed and stood up, dusting imaginary dirt from her shorts.

"Gohan, I'm not the kind of girl who needs protecting." She put on a fake-serious face, making her voice deep. "'I didn't ask for your help, Saiyaman'. Remember?" She tried to smirk at him – show the cocky, headstrong Videl Satan she should be - but all that came out was a sad kind of smile. He stood up next to her.

"Yeah, I remember."

"Then why?"

He didn't say anything. Videl sighed and began walking. _I wish I could see inside your head, Gohan. It would make this a lot easier. _

He was panicking. Well, old habits die hard. Gohan stood and watched Videl turn away and start to leave. Should he follow her? Did she _want_ him to follow her? If he let her just leave what would happen? But then… what would happen if he _didn't_ let her leave?

She was almost to the road before he was able to make a decision.

"Videl?" She turned around. "Erm… May I… walk you home?"

A pause. And then…

"Alright." She smiled at him, gently. Almost like… she was embarrassed. He grinned back, flustered though he wasn't totally sure why.

So there they were again: walking through Satan City's busy afternoon streets. A few passers by would look their way with interest, and a few stopped to openly stare at Videl Satan walking past and at the mysterious young man at her elbow.

Oblivious to the stares, the pair walked in silence. Both lost in whatever thoughts they were emerged in. Common themes of embarrassment, confusion and indecision surfacing in both.

But, while Gohan seemed stuck on any ideas for conversation, Videl had a slightly more… _stern_ view on her hesitant silence.

_This is getting pathetic. Why should I be stuck for words? I know I've ever really had a proper _conversation_ with Gohan, but still… I should have some idea. I have things I need to ask him, so why not just ask? For Kami's sake! Videl Satan fears nothing! Come on, girl! Quit being a baby and speak. SPEAK! … Oh hang on. Is that why…?_

"Is that why you're Saiyaman? Because you're a Saiyan?"

"Ex-excuse me?!" Gohan's shock made him stumbled a little. His face flushed and the way his eyebrows shot up made Videl laugh.

"Ha ha. Sorry. Sorry. I was thinking out loud. That was weird."

"Eheh… yeah." He rubbed the back of his neck self-consciously and Videl smiled at the familiar mannerism.

"Is that it, though?"

"Yeah. That's why. I had to think up a name pretty fast and it was the first thing that came to mind."

"Well that explains it. I always wondered where a name like that could have come from. It's a little… out there, you know?"

"I guess it is." He looked across at her, puzzled. "But who told you I was a Saiyan?"

Videl let a minute past before she replied, weighing up in her head the likelihood of Gohan even believing her answer.

"Actually, I had a lovely little chat with the black cat Dr Briefs carries around with him. He was _real_ informative."

"Really? You can do that?" Videl rolled her eyes good naturedly.

"Well not _usually_, Gohan. But under the circumstances yes."

"Oh."

"So… what is a Saiyan?"

Gohan looked at her, then at the sky, biting his lip as he sought for the most appropriate answer.

"Well, Videl, it's… _complicated_."

"Ah. Too complicated for the middle of the city, huh?"

"Exactly." He smiled at her and she felt her cheeks warm.

"Alright. But I'm going to get the answer out of you someday. I'm a real stickler for getting my own way." He laughed, which only made her face feel hotter.

"I figured as much."

She let a few moments pass in companionable silence, her mind whirring through all the things she wanted to fully understand about her mysterious guardian.

"So then… is being a Saiyan the reason you can fly around and pick up jumbo jets with your pinkie?" Gohan laughed nervously under her resurrected interrogation, privately enjoying the way her eyebrows flitted down when she was puzzling something over.

"No. Not exactly. But it helps, I guess."

"So then… anyone can do that stuff? They don't have to be a Saiyan?"

"Well, yeah, to a degree. Flying's pretty easy once you get the hang of it, and there are plenty of regular fighters who build up their strength and use ki. It's all about learning, really."

"Good. That's alright then." She smiled, speaking more to herself than Gohan.

"Erm… what is?"

"Hum? Oh, nothing, it doesn't matter." She smiled to him. An unguarded grin that made Gohan want to smile right on back at her. Instead he just flushed and smiled at his shoes.

Out of the corner of his eye, Gohan notice two small sets of eyes watching their progress from atop the wall in front of them. Eyeing the cats curiously, he didn't realise he was walking alone until Videl's voice reached him.

"Gohan?" He stopped and looked back. Videl had stopped a few paces behind him and was staring with fierce concentration at the kerb by his feet.

"What's the matter? Are you alri-"

"I wanted to thank you." Her fingers came together bashfully, rubbing her short nails for comfort. "You were honestly worried about me. I really don't know why, I mean, were not even really _friends_ and you still spent all that time trying to find… me…."

She looked up. Gohan was stood in front of her, just a few inches away. _When did he move? _He looked her in the eye with this… soft, calm expression that she had only seen him wear a few times. He looked like he was trying to see inside her head. He looked like the kind of person who you could pour your heart out to.

He looked like…

"Gohan…?"

"Why not?"

"… why… what?"

"Why are we not really friends? I thought we were."

She stared at him. Her heart – which a moment ago had been thudding and thumping in her chest – now felt like it had stopped. How could he do that? Be so calm all of a sudden? …How did he manage to say the right thing?

Slowly, very slowly, she shifted. Only a little and only very slowly. Until she was up against him and her head was resting ever so lightly on his shoulder.

He tensed. She could feel in radiating off him in nervous beats. She almost moved away when she felt a hand rest itself shakily between her shoulders. She released a breath and closed her eyes.

"Thank you."

They stood there, barely breathing for fear it might break them apart. _What would happen if we never moved?_

A brush against her ankle jump-started Videl back into the real world.

"I'd better be getting home." She pushed herself away and hurried past Gohan, not able to meet his eye. She twisted round as she started to run, grinning and waving over her shoulder. "See you later, Saiyadork!"

Gohan watched her run away, the two cats who had been sat on the wall running along side her.

Rounding a corner, Videl stopped. Her heavy breaths echoed through the empty street. She ran a hand over her face and through her hair. Then started walking.

_He looked like the kind of person I might fall in love with._

* * *

AN: Well there we go. It's a lot of fun seeing how Videl acts differently to the same revelations after watching Gohan for a week. She acts quite differently to how she acts in the anime, doesn't she? She seems a lot more… _gentle _with him, I guess. But then, she has to be a little gentler with herself right now.

Ha ha. I went a little overboard with the ellipsis this time. Lots of "…"s all over the place! Dear me.

On another note, I think it's fair to say the fanart contest isn't going to be getting any more submissions. I'm going to be giving a prise to both Ninjacey and RedRoseGrace (I couldn't choose!). So ladies, if you're reading, I'll be getting in touch in the next few weeks to sort out what you would like as a reward :)


End file.
